Acquiesce
by ToryV
Summary: Alice is torn between wanting to keep the convoy safe and what her heart wants. Set during Extinction. Alice/Claire
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This sounds tacky, but I was listening to an Oasis song and it gave me an idea for a story (hence where i stole...err...borrowed the title for this fic.) I have no beta and it's like 3 a.m. so as you can imagine, there is probably a truckload of errors to be found. I try to catch as many as I can. I'm sorry if i've missed some. Anyways, hope you enjoy!**

**Summary: Set during Extinction. Alice is torn between what wanting to keep the convoy safe and what her heart wants. Alice/Claire (Calice...?)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. **

**Chapter 1:**

The weapons felt at home in her hands.

It bothered her at first, how attached she had become to firearms and weapons in general. She couldn't even remember the last time she felt comfortable and secure without some sort of weapon in reach. Becoming a security operative at a young age, learning what horrors seemingly harmless people were capable of early on, it all stirred a paranoia within her. She began thinking of all people as a threat to her long before they actually were.

Alice quickly glanced over her new LDA pistols, sliding new magazines into the barrel's of each and giving them a final once over before holstering them securely to her thighs. The shotgun was next. It was a simple Mossberg 12 gauge. Running through a mental checklist, she too gave the shotgun a last close inspection before sliding it into the holster on her back.

Satisfied that she now had all her firearms in check, Alice went to grab her last pair of weapons, only to come up short. Her hand hovered over the area on the table where she was certain she had placed them just moments before. A tiny smirk touched Alice's lips as she sensed she was no longer alone in the small abandoned motel room. She suddenly felt a pair of vivid green eyes on her back, watching her closely.

"I can get you a pair of those if you like them that much." Alice said evenly, turning to see Claire casually leaning against the doorframe. The redhead took a small step farther into the room, in her hands rested Alice's kukri blades. She gently raised and lowered them experimentally, testing the weight in her palms.

"Little vicious, don't you think?"

Alice's eyebrow perked at the subtle teasing in Claire's voice. Though in all honesty, the redhead was very serious. She had seen Alice at work with the deadly blades. The way she manipulated them to slash and severe muscle tissue and bone with such ease and finesse fascinated Claire. Alice had made cutting down the undead with the two blades nearly an art form and Claire couldn't help but watch in awe at the woman's terrifying skill.

"Didn't think you cared much when it came disposing of the undead." Alice countered.

Claire's serious face faltered and gave way to an amused smile as she carefully handed the blades back to Alice, who promptly sheathed them under her long flowing coat.

It had been only a few weeks since Alice had joined the convoy after rescuing them all from a swarm of infected crows. And since then Claire has come to realize that things actually ran much more smoothly with the other woman around. With Alice's ability to sense other infected organisms and just all around enhanced abilities, it provided an extra air of comfort simply having her traveling with them. Despite the initial fear she had created upon her arrival.

Although for a while, Claire couldn't bring herself to really trust the quiet drifter. Her intense blue eyes unnerved the convoy leader. And the fact that she could never figure out what was going on inside Alice's head most the time didn't make things any better. Alice was an enigma to Claire and it set her on edge whenever she was around.

That's not to say she didn't eventually warm up to her though. Much to Claire's surprise she soon found that Alice, although quiet and often times brooding, wasn't all that unpleasant to be around. She was smart and perceptive, and the redhead had to admit, she was learning a lot from the woman just watching her.

The two were often forced to converse when it came to things such as where to hit up next for fuel, who would take what night shifts and strategies for which routes were safest to travel. On more than one occasion, they were even paired up for keeping watch over the convoy after dark.

Claire remembered that first night remarkably well.

Uncomfortable glances, half hearted attempts at conversation, they even sat at opposite ends of the campfire from one another.

It took about an hour, but eventually a legit conversation started, it may have been rocky at first, but it was progress. Claire remembered telling Alice about going out looking for her brother, which in turn lead to her getting caught up in the mess at Raccoon City and eventually her putting together the convoy. Claire remembered watching Alice's expressions closely as she spoke. The blonde had listened to everything she had to say, never interrupting once. She was genuinely interested in Claire's story.

Gradually they became more comfortable in each other's presence. Awkward attempts at conversing slowly evolved into truly engaging conversation and from that, a new respect between the two slowly formed and with that respect, a friendship even.

They began interacting for reasons other than business and survival, and Claire could even say she began to enjoy the other woman's company. Which made today all the more difficult for the redhead to swallow.

"So you think you'll be back eventually?" Claire asked.

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall, watching as Alice finished preparations before she planned on taking off again. Alice slipped on a pair of worn looking fingerless gloves and draped her shawl around her neck, she remained silent for a few long moments.

"Depends." She finally said.

"On…?" Claire pressed. Alice shrugged weakly, her eyes avoiding Claire's prying stare.

"Umbrella may still be able to track me, Claire. I can throw them off my trail quicker by traveling alone. Being around you-the convoy….I can't risk them finding me." Alice reasoned softly. Claire's eyes narrowed slightly, her stern expression never letting up.

"It's been weeks now. Don't you think if they were able to find you they would have by now?" Claire asked, forcing her voice to remain even, diplomatic.

Alice's eyes slid shut for a moment, she shook her head sadly.

"It's not that simple Claire."

"Then explain it to me." The redhead demanded, letting her cold, neutral expression slip for a brief moment.

Alice sighed and looked Claire dead in the eye, silently pleading with her to stop making this harder than it already was.

"I'm not safe, Claire. I will _not_ jeopardize you and all the others."

"And what about you? You think it's safe to be roaming around the desert all on your own with no backup?"Claire challenged stubbornly.

"I can take care of myself, Claire." Alice said. Her tone one of reassurance rather than the usual cocky manner in which those words were normally spoken.

"Don't worry about me. You've already got enough to worry about, I don't want to add to that." Alice all but whispered the last part. She slung her pack over her shoulder and turned to face Claire. The convoy leader's hard, defiant stare never faltering. Her arms still firmly crossed in front of her. Their eyes locked again.

"Yeah, well tough shit Alice. You're one of us. People here care about you. You're _friends_ care about you." Claire said forcefully. Alice felt a painful knot form in her throat, making it hard for her to swallow. Her eyes softened.

"And I care about them. So you have to understand why I need to leave." Alice said wistfully, her voice cracks despite her best efforts to even it out. She took a step forward and placed a gentle hand on Claire's arm. Their eyes met again. Alice's, a silent pleading for Claire to understand and Claire's, still narrowed into a cold, hard stare.

Wordlessly, Alice walked past the redhead, her hand lingering on Claire's arm for just a few moments, before she silently made her way out of the motel room and into the harsh daylight of the Nevada desert.

Alice quickly slung her pack onto her bike and strapped it down. She spared one last glance around the area, her eyes going between the line of armored vehicles and the few individuals who were hanging out around them, caught up in conversation. She had already said her goodbyes to Carlos, Lj and even K-Mart. Though she had hoped Claire's would've gone more smoothly. Alice sighed and swung her leg over the bike and inserted the key into the ignition. Pulling her helmet on, she turned the key and the bmw roared to life. She took one last glance back at the old motel that still held Claire inside and sighed. A heavy ache had formed deep in her chest, ebbing away at her resolve slightly.

Revving the engine, she nudged the kickstand back and took off, leaving nothing more than a cloud of dust in her wake. Within seconds it was as if the mysterious woman had never even been there at all as she quickly turned a corner in the distance and drove out of sight.

Claire had yet to move from the spot she had kept through the whole conversation. Her eyes glazed over as she listened to the hum of Alice's BMW motorcycle starting. It wasn't long till she was listening to that very sound begin to fade as the distance between Alice and her grew before it disappeared completely.

Claire let out a painful sigh and leaned against the wall, letting herself slide to the carpeted floor. She rested her head against her hand and looked back towards the door Alice had just gone through just minutes before. Claire knew loss. She knew the biting sting of losing friends by the dozens. Losing people she'd grown to care about. But something about Alice leaving was more. The hurt wasn't just a sting. It was a tearing ache in her chest, something that threatened to consume her. She rested her forehead in the palm of her hand and shut her eyes tightly, letting her face fall to mirror the overwhelming torrent of emotions flowing through her at that moment. A nagging voice in the back of her mind reminded her that the moment she stepped foot out that door she'd have to bottle it all up again. She had to hide her weakness from the ones who depended on her to show strength. Still, Claire couldn't help but be thankful for the cover the abondoned building had to offer from the prying eyes of her convoy. She was thankful for the silence and the few, fragile moments of peace.

Claire jumped slightly as a rapid knock broke the stillness of the room.

"Claire, you in there?" Carlos called through the door.

Claire scrambled to her feet and made her way to the door just as Carlos was about to knock again.

"Hey, Alice still around or did she take off already?" Carlos asked pleasantly.

"Nah, she took off about 5 minutes ago. Why?" Claire said, carefully keeping a mask of indifference in place. Carlos shrugged.

"Just curious. You ready to get moving?"

Claire nodded and followed the former cop out of the motel room and towards the convoy. Hoping she could somehow leave the hollow ache in her chest locked in the dark, musty room as the door slammed shut behind her.

**To Be Continued…**

**A/N: Love it, hate it? Let me know, I love hearing what you guys think, all feedback is appreciated! I've got a very vague idea of where this fic is going so far, so if you all have any suggestions of what you'd like to read I'd love to hear them! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I apologize for any OOC-ness in this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

_Italics are used for flashbacks._

**Chapter 2: **

_Claire stoked the fire a few more times and added a fresh log before falling back onto the blanket lain out behind her, she crossed her legs beneath her and rubbed her hands against her arms to warm them up a little. The nights were becoming progressively colder as the months went on; she was guessing it was sometime around August, but really, everyone had stopped keeping track a while ago. _

_Reaching into her pocket, Claire quickly produced a bic lighter and a pack of camels. She smacked the bottom of the pack a few times before plucking one of the unfiltered cigarettes from the near-empty pack._

"_You know those things are bad for you." A familiar voice came from her left. Claire glanced sideways to see Alice making her way over to the fireside. The redhead placed the smoke between her lips and lit up, making an exaggerated inhalation of the first drag._

"_Mm. Right." She mumbled smugly, throwing Alice a playful smirk. The blonde scoffed half-heartedly and took a seat on the blanket next to Claire. _

"_How's the perimeter look?" Claire asked, taking another long drag and blowing the smoke out of the side of her mouth. _

"_Secure. Nothing coming at us on any side for miles." Alice drawled. She reached over and plucked the cigarette from between Claire's lips and brought it to her own, stealing a quick drag._

_Claire raised an eyebrow at the cigarette stealing blonde and nudged her with an elbow._

"_Hey, those things are fucking hard to come by these days," Claire quickly swiped the cigarette from Alice's middle and index finger, placing it back between her own lips. The mischievous glint in the woman's eye sending a jolt of electricity up her back. Alice chuckled and turned her gaze towards the flames while Claire quietly puffed away at the rest of her cigarette. When the redhead had finished, she flicked the spent but into the campfire, and in a rare show of weariness, fell back onto the blanket. She crossed her arms snuggly behind her head as olive green eyes began tracing the bright stars shining overhead. _

_Alice glanced over at her reclined companion and couldn't help but smile at how content Claire looked at that moment. Claire, feeling Alice's eyes on her, looked up at the blonde, giving her an almost indignant look to mask the blush threatening to form at the thought of being watched by the older woman._

"_What?" She asked curtly. Alice smirked, her eyes never leaving the convoy leader's._

"_They're beautiful, aren't they?" _

_Claire nodded and suddenly smiled as an idea popped into her head._

"_Come here."_

_Alice raised an eyebrow but remained where she was._

"_Come on, seriously. My brother and I used to do this when we were kids." Claire said persistently._

_The redhead reached up and grasped the other woman's arm, gently guiding her to lie down next to her so they were both looking up at the stars._

_Alice, taken by surprise by the gesture, sent Claire an odd look before willing herself to relax, despite her close proximity to the other woman. After a few beats of silence Alice finally spoke._

"_So…..what are we doing?" She asked in confusion, still slightly thrown off by this rare display of playfulness coming from the usually stoic convoy leader._

"_You see that bunch of stars up there?" Claire pointed to a constellation right over head. Alice nodded._

"_Ursa Major." She stated bluntly. Claire nodded in exasperation._

"_Yes…it is ursa major. But what __**else**__ do you see? Look for different patterns other than the established ones." _

_Alice knit her eyebrows together for a few moments._

"_Like….looking for cloud formations?" She asked. Claire nodded. _

_Alice couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of chasing star patterns with Claire Redfield, resident hard-ass of the convoy. The redhead heard Alice attempt at stifling the low laughter and scoffed._

"_It was just a suggestion to pass the time. You don't have to play if you don't want to." Claire muttered indignantly. Alice shook her head._

"_No, it's just…..nothing." She trailed off._

_Claire turned to meet Alice's eyes and looked at her suspiciously._

"_What?" she asked slowly. Alice shrugged and smiled fondly at the redhead, trying hard to keep her thoughts in line being so close to her. She then turned her head back up to look at the stars, frustrating Claire even further._

"_It's just what?" Claire repeated the question pointedly. Alice just grinned smugly and nodded toward a group of stars to their right._

"_Those ones look like moths." She stated casually, her grin only grew as she felt Claire's irritated glare deepen._

"_You're a real pain in the ass sometimes, you know that right?"_

_Alice let out an amused laugh as Claire nudged her with an annoyed elbow and rolled her eyes before she too returned to looking up at the stars. _

_For the rest of their shift that night, both Alice and Claire were amazed to feel something they never thought they'd have a chance to relive again ever since the world had ended. As they slowly went through the bright constellations, pointing out shapes and objects they'd see in a cluster of stars and laughed as they'd lean in close to one another and help the other see the shapes too, the two women reveled in the simple act of playing. Happy for the simple, joyful distraction from the harsh realities they'd soon have to return to._

_

* * *

_**3 Months Later….**

The scenery whipped by, falling into a monotonous blur of nothing but sand and jagged rock as Alice gracefully maneuvered her bike down the never ending stretch of highway . Up ahead she could just barely make out a sign informing her that she wasn't too far off from Phoenix, Arizona.

Alice gradually slowed her speed down and came to a crawl before cutting the engine of her bike completely. The low roar quickly died, thrusting her into the eerie silence of her barren surroundings. She took a quick glance around before flipping open a small radio and hitting a button to scan for the signal she had been following the past couple of days. After a few seconds of dead air an unfamiliar female voice came over the airwaves, only slightly broken up by static.

"This is Claire Redfield's convoy, we are looking for survivors. If there is anyone out there we provide food, shelter and protection. Can anybody hear me?"

At first Alice thought it was a different broadcast. She had initially expected to hear Mikey's voice over the airwaves, but a few months ago she had stopped hearing the young aussie's voice and instead, replacing it was some girl's that she couldn't recognize. Alice couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret well in her chest, hoping nothing had happened to Mikey or the Convoy during her absence.

Alice snapped the radio shut and checked her cordinance .

The convoy still had a good day and a half lead on her. She glanced at her fuel meter, repressing an annoyed sigh. The bike's tank was barely half full. She did a quick mental search, trying to remember if she'd seen any fuel stations around this area that hadn't already been bled dry.

Alice rolled her eyes and growled under her breath. She pulled her helmet back on and started the bike again, speeding off along the highway. Despite her best efforts to focus on remembering a nearby fuel outlet, her thoughts stubbornly wondered towards a certain redheaded convoy leader. As had been the case for the past long months Alice had been away. She had traveled across the ruins that were once the United States in little over a week, and even went through some parts of Canada. She had come by hordes of infected and cut down more walking corpses then she could count. Yet still, the nagging memory of warm green eyes pulled at her conscious and beckoned for her to return. Going against all her best judgments, Alice had finally given in to her crumbling resolve and decided to consider for just a while that maybe...Claire was right.

It _had_ been nearly a year and a half since she felt even a twinge of Umbrella's scrutiny at her back. Maybe they really had lost track of her. Though Alice knew better, it would be idiotic of her to get her hopes up at that overly optimistic and highly unlikely conclusion.

Alice sighed, shaking out of her thoughts again, returning her full attention to the road ahead. She knew she was being selfish going back. She knew that Umbrella would never stop looking. But roaming the abandoned roads of a lost world for the rest of her life, avoiding all human contact like the plague… avoiding the one person who gave her some spark of hope, it was too much isolation for even her to deal with. She might as well be one of the infected if she kept up this mindless wandering.

Alice revved the engine of her bike and increased her pace. Although Alice was more than aware of the fact that the last thing she'd be getting from Claire would be a warm welcome, she didn't care. Thoughts of simply seeing the strong-willed, beautiful convoy leader again were enough to bring a smile to the travel-weary loner's lips. She longed to see those deep green eyes again, even if they were narrowed into an angry glare at her.

* * *

K-Mart hopped out of Mikey's trailer and stretched, squinting against the brimming light of morning. She slid a pair of dark sunglasses into place and took in the sight of the still-waking convoy.

Carlos slowly went around the trucks, doing morning checks while rubbing the sleep from his tired eyes. LJ and Mikey both sat huddled around a dying campfire, trying to chase away the morning chill by soaking up what little warmth the flames had to offer before the sun began warming up the crisp air of dawn.

Over by the ambulance, K-Mart spotted Rebecca, the new medic the convoy had picked up near Chicago a few weeks back. The blonde teenager watched as the woman tended to a young boy's bleeding nose, her bedside manner was easy going, warm and friendly, she was a real natural. The strange thing was, Rebecca didn't seem much older than K-mart or even Claire for that matter. But the young former S.T.A.R.S member proved herself to be experienced as both a fighter and a healer, quickly gaining the respect of the convoy.

"Is he okay?" K-Mart asked hesitantly making her way over to the ambulance. Rebecca turned and smiled brightly at the blonde teenager.

"Oh, yes he'll be fine. It's just the dry air is all." Rebecca assured K-Mart quickly. K-mart nodded and turned to see Carlos making his way over to them.

"Morning Rebecca, K-Mart. " The handsome man greeted pleasantly. K-Mart quickly pushed down the small, shy blush that always managed to creep across her cheeks whenever Carlos was around and gave him a small wave.

"Morning Carlos!" The blonde squeaked.

"Is Claire up yet?" Carlos asked curiously. K-mart glanced back towards the yellow hummer, seeing no sign of the redheaded leader.

"Um, I'm not sure. I can go wake her up if you want?"

Carlos nodded and stifled a yawn against the back of his hand.

"Yeah, tell her we're looking to break camp in about 45 minutes, sound good?"

K-mart nodded and turned to jog towards the hummer.

Inside, Claire was curled up in the backseat, using one of the backpacks they stored in the trunk as a sort of make-shift pillow. She had pulled her green baseball cap securely over her eyes as she dozed. It was obvious though that her sleep wasn't of the restful quality. She shifted and tensed every now and then, fumbling restlessly in her dreamscape. The occasional disjointed syllable would fall from her lips, along with a name every now and then. One clear, audible name.

K-Mart pulled open the passenger door to the hummer, jarring Claire out of her restless sleep.

"Ali-" Her green eyes immediately fell on K-Mart, her right hand already resting on the gloc at her hip.

"What? What's wrong?" Claire asked urgently, taking a quick glance around for any signs of a threat. K-mart held her unarmed hands up and laughed.

"Woah. Good morning to you too, Claire. Uptight much?" The teen teased, grinning at the convoy leader. Claire let out a long breathe of air and fell back against her backpack-pillow, yanking her hat back over her eyes.

"What time is it?" Came a grumbled reply. K-Mart shut the door of the hummer and relaxed into the passenger seat, keeping an eye on Claire using the rearview mirror.

"It's almost 7:30. Carlos wants to be out of here by 8-ish."

"Damn, and I thought _I_ was an early riser. Have to hand it to the old man, he takes the cake." Claire groaned into the brim of her hat.

"He's not _that_ old." K-Mart scoffed indignantly. Claire snorted in amusement, using her index finger to push her hat up just enough to give K-Mart a knowing look. The teen narrowed her eyes at Claire.

"Oh don't even. You don't think I can't hear you moaning over Alice all night back there? Please." K-Mart smirked as Claire's eyes widened.

"What…..?" Claire gaped for a moment before quickly tugging the cap over her face again.

"Right….whatever you say, K." Claire drawled sarcastically, trying keep her voice indifferent. Though, her mind instantly went back to the nightmare she was having just moments before….

K-Mart quirked an eyebrow at Claire and rested back against the passenger seat. She wasn't expecting the redhead to continue any form of conversation for a while, or at least till she's had her first morning cigarette.

* * *

**Sometime later that day…**

The bike gave one final croak as Alice pulled to the side of the road. She dismounted the BMW and glared dully at the machine.

"Perfect." She muttered under her breath. The blonde could hardly be mad though, for the past few hours she'd been running the dying machine on an empty tank. Still, the detour was going to cost her.

Slinging her pack over her shoulder, Alice gave the front tire a quick kick with the side of her foot, before turning to continue her trek on foot.

Although she was still quite a ways behind the convoy, Alice figured she'd gain some ground traveling through the night. If she was lucky, she'd be able to catch up to the others by morning before they started moving again.

Alice glanced at the digital watch strapped to her wrist, if they still traveled like they used to, she guessed they'd have set up camp for the night by now. She hoisted the bag on her back up for a better grip and continued forward, picking up her pace, grimacing slightly.

"Tonight's going to be a long night," She mumbled flatly.

To be continued...

**A/N: Okay, so I've got a few diffrent ideas going for this story. So the next few chapters hopefully won't be as boring (Afterall, can only leave poor Alice stranded in the desert for so long before she starts getting pissy...). Also, please don't throw shoes or rotten fruit at me! I'm working on the update for Through the Eyes of Another, i haven't forgotten about it, i swear!**

**And for those of you who are wondering. Yes, the new medic Rebecca is Rebecca Chambers from the game. I'm thinking about incorporating a couple more characters from the game into this story, so...guess we'll see how that goes...yeah...Anyways, love to hear what you guys think! Love it so far? Hate it? **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sooo...i'd advise you against eating steak or hamburger...or for the vegetarian readers, your tofurkey while reading this particular chapter. Just a heads up. ****Also, still no beta so lots of grammatical errors! **

**Disclamer: I don't own Resident Evil.**

**Chapter 3: (AKA- The-scene-we've-all-seen-a-million times before-but-I'm-using -anyway-cause-I'm-a-cliche-using-asshole: Part deux)**

The convoy had settled down for the night, the sun was just beginning to set below the horizon casting a dark orange glow over the landscape. The perimeter had been set, Claire had made sure everyone got their share of rations for the night and two small campfires were built up and roaring, filling the camp with a warm glow against the steadily decreasing sunlight.

At one fire, Claire, Carlos, K-Mart, Rebecca and LJ sat in a comfortable silence. While the others were either sleeping already, hidden away in the trucks, or out scattered around the camp. Some were huddled around the other campfire, others were sidled up against the truck conversing with other comrades. The more restless members of the convoy were finishing up a few last minute tasks and chores before turning in for the night. The air of the camp was calm and suprisingly relaxed.

Carlos glanced over at Claire sitting next to him. The redhead had barely spoken since this morning and he was growing worried that something was wrong.

"You doing alright there, Claire?" The man asked gently. Claire looked up from the stick she had been poking at the fire with and nodded silently. Carlos gave her a pleading look.

"I'm fine Carlos. Just could use some sleep is all." Claire finally muttered to humor him. Carlos nodded, not quite buying it. But it was obvious that if he tried probing any further Claire would probably just retreat back to her truck. He figured she'd either start talking when she was ready, or do what she usually does, which is getting over it on her own much to his grief.

Mikey's panicked voice suddenly came blaring through the walkie talkies, causing everyone to jump and reach for their weapons. The Aussie's voice was riddled with static and hardly audible against the grainy connection.

"Guys! Carlos, Claire, anyone! Something just breached the perimeter! Repeat! Something has just perimeter!"

Carlos immediately brought the small device up to ear level.

"Woah Mikey, calm down. What did it look like?"

The walkie talkie remained silent for a few long, painful beats.

"I-I-I dunno. They were too fast to see…" Came the young man's frantic response.

Carlos' eyebrows drew together, he turned to Claire who shared his concerned look.

"They?" he said aloud.

At that moment a blood curdling scream rung throughout the convoy. Claire, Carlos and Rebecca all shot to their feet, drawing their firearms.

"Everybody get in your trucks! Now! Move it! Move it!" Carlos bellowed, spurring the already terrified people around them to begin making a break for it to the nearest safe haven. Claire leaned over grabbing K-Mart by her elbow.

"Get to the hummer. Now. Go!"

K-Mart hesitated for a second, looking fearfully up at Claire before nodding rapidly and running back to the armored truck.

Another shrill scream erupted through the already hectic camp, the source and it's caused still unseen as Carlos, Claire and Rebecca continued to hurriedly direct everyone inside, giving them cover from the unseen threat.

A third scream, sounding like it was coming from the same mouth as the previous one. This one, rather than a surprised cry, was more of an agony-filled wail that echoed for a few long seconds before being cut off by the sickening sound of a trachea being crushed between powerful jaws. The terrified yelp ending with a strangled, wet gurgle.

Claire darted off toward the direction of the scream, evading Carlos' arm as it shot out to stop her.

"Claire, no!" he called after her.

"Make sure everyone gets inside!" She yelled, pushing herself even harder, trying to pinpoint exactly where she had heard the scream coming from.

She rounded one of the trucks and mentally kicked herself for not having a flashlight with her as she had to wait for her vision to adjust to the meek grey light dusk had to offer. She squinted and slowed her pace to a cautious step as she drew nearer to where the scream had originated. Her foot nudged something, she immediately jumped in surprise quickly side stepping whatever it was and trained her gloc on the offending object all in a matter of a second.

Claire's eyes widened. She could just barley make out the silhouette of a man sprawled out on the ground just a few feet away. Her eyes gradually adjusted and finally were able to make out more than just a shape.

The man's face was grotesquely contorted, frozen into permanent mask of terror and agony. The glassy whites of his eyes stared blankly up at the sky, his mouth still agape as it was in his last few horrible moments of living. It was apparent that he had been mauled, but by what?

There was a large gaping wound in the man's neck….or what was left of it. Whatever had administered it had taken it's time chewing through the man's voice box and trachea, ripping the fragile tubing and vital muscle tissues from his neck as he writhed in horror, unable to scream or fend off his attackers.

Claire felt bile rise up the back of her throat as she saw the white glint of bone from the man's vertebrae jutting upward in the horrific mess. The sand around the fresh corpse had been soaked and stained a dark red from all the blood.

Her hands began to tremble slightly as she went to take a step back, needing to shy away from the carnage at her feet. Suddenly, a low, feral growl rumbled to her left. Claire froze in place. Her eyes fell on what had done the mauling.

Like most infected animals she had seen, the dog's body was largely void of any skin. Leaving the sinewy, pulsing meat and bone of the dog's side exposed. Claire nearly gagged at the site of the damp muscle tissue shifting and contracting with every movement the canine would make.

The dog snarled viciously at the convoy leader, baring it's broken, jagged teeth.

Claire gave a startled breath and fired a shot, winging the infected canine before dashing over to the cover of one of the trucks. The dog yelped as the bullet ripped through it's side, splattering bits of congealed blood and broken rib over the sand beneath it. It faltered slightly and immediately locked back onto it's redheaded prey. Another gravely snarl eminating from its throat.

Claire dove behind the fuel truck breathing hard and trembling, her heat beat nearly deafening her as it drummed erratically in her chest. She had yet to catch a glimpse of Carlos or Rebecca, but guess they were still out in the open somewhere. In her adrenaline fueled haze, she could swear she heard the distinctive sound of Carlos' Taurus PT92AF being shot multiple times somewhere in the distance.

Claire raised her gun up to the ready, willing her hand to stop shaking she slowly crept along the side of the tanker. Her senses were on razor wire, ready to detect any trace of the infected canine.

"Claire." Carlos' voice whispered over the walkie talker. Claire jumped and slapped a hand over her mouth, muting her startled gasp as she ripped the walkie talkie from her belt.

"How many?" She forced the whisper out into the small device. Every nerve in her body screamed in protest against making the noise.

"4 that I've counted….i managed to down 1, but the other 3…." Carlos whispered back.

"Shh…" Claire hissed into the walkie talkie suddenly. Another low growl rumbled somewhere on the other side of the tanker truck, followed by another.

"Shit…" Claire hissed.

She heard, what she guessed was at least 2 of the hounds tearing away at the corpse of the former convoy member. The wet smacking sound of muscle and tendons being ripped from bone and being chewed noisily between blood soaked jowls nauseated Claire. She bit back the urge to yack and pulled back the firing pin of her gloc.

Bad move.

The gun made a very noticeable 'click' sound and with it, dead silence. All sounds of the dogs chewing away at the body ceased, causing the hairs on the back of Claire's neck to rise.

A few sharp barks quickly cut through the silence, followed by the steady 'thud thud thud' of paws smacking against the ground, drawing nearer and nearer to Claire's position. Claire turned her head and aimed the gun just as 2 dogs rounded the truck on her left side. A gravely snarl from her right alerted her to the presence of the third. They had boxed her in.

Claire fired two shots, hitting one of the dogs in the side, a shrill yelp followed. She fired another shot in the direction of the third closing in on her right. By this point though, the sun had crept too low, obscuring Claire's usually careful aim. She managed to hit the infected beast, missing it's head, however the bullet imbedded itself into the creatures chest. The force effectively thrusting it back a few feet.

Claire reached for another mag. Her trembleing hands fumbled though, dropping the rounds to the ground in front of her.

"Shit! Shit!" Claire hissed sharply, stepping back further and further till her back was touching the cool metal of the tanker.

'This is it….' She thought, barely making out the shapes of her advancing attackers in the darkness.

She braced herself for the pain of sharp incisors biting and tearing at her skin, greedily snapping at her neck and extremities. Her fate would be no different from the man she had failed to find and get to safety before having his throat ripped out by the crazed beasts.

Claire could see the dogs stiffen, knowing they were preparing to lunge. And all she could think about were a pair of cobalt blue eyes.

As the dogs lunged Claire yelped in surprise when a towering figure leapt from the tanker truck, landing gracefully in front of her, shielding her from the attack. The clean ringing sound of blades being drawn could be heard.

The figure lunged, slicing the nearest attacker's meaty throat with one quick motion, sending the dog to the dirt,motionless, it's head resembling that of a backwards pez-dispenser. She then stepped forward and shot a well aimed fist out at the second dog. The blade had been flipped at this point so that when the fist came into contact with the dog the razor edge followed in suit, slicing deeply into the creatures exposed ribs. She followed quickly with a powerful downward strike, forcibly planting the blade into the dogs back, severing the spinal column with a sickening 'thunk'.

The figure then wasted no time in flinging the other knife into the third canine's skull, downing the last attacker with relative ease.

Claire stared on in amazement, her mind having yet to register what had just happened.

"Are you alright?" The person asked, taking a hesitant step forward.

Claire knew then she had to be imagining things.

'That voice…'

Suddenly, the redheads legs felt weak, giving way to the shock and fear she had been trying to suppress.

Alice reacted quickly when she saw Claire falter slightly before slowly beginning to sink to the ground. The blonde dropped her remaining blade, letting it fall to the sand and quickly caught the convoy leader, gathering her in her arms before she hit the ground.

"Claire…..Claire? Hey…..you're okay…You're okay. I've got you…You're okay." Alice whispered soothingly. She gently rocked the shell-shocked Claire in her arms.

It was then that Carlos came running into view, pistol still drawn and in his free hand, a flashlight. Rebecca followed close behind, her own weapon drawn as well.

"Claire!" Carlos called, the beam of his flashlight fell on Alice and the redhead. Alice grimaced as the bright light stung her eyes. Carlos gaped momentarily, the mixture of seeing 3 mutilated dog carcasses and the blonde right smack dab in the middle of it all, clinging tightly to the convoy leader, caught him off guard.

"You're back…." Was all he could manage to stammer. Rebecca stared at the strange woman holding Claire in confusion before cautiously moving forward. Alice gave a short nod in Carlos' direction as Rebecca knelt down next to the two.

"Was she bitten?" The young medic asked, her practiced eye slowly began looking over both women for any signs of injury. Alice immediately recognized the girls voice as the same one she had been hearing over the broadcasts.

'She must be new.' She concluded silently to herself.

Before Alice could reply to the medic's question however, she found herself being violently shoved away by Claire.

"I'm fine." The redhead muttered as she climbed to her feet. Claire looked between Carlos, Alice and what was left of the infected dogs. Her mind may have still been reeling but she was glad she had regained motor function. Though she couldn't help but feel a small twinge of regret at seeing the look of hurt cross Alice's features as she frantically escaped the blonde's welcoming arms. Claire's skin still hummed pleasantly from the feel of being surrounded by Alice's lithe body. She pushed down the feeling and let walls of cold indifference take their place.

"What are you doing here?" Claire demanded evenly. Alice flinched inwardly at the frosty edge to the redhead's voice.

"I'm back." Alice said, her eyes never leaving Claire's. Claire raised a disbelieving brow, her green eyes narrowing into an indifferent scowl directed at the blonde.

"Is that right?" She drawled, bitter skepticism lacing every word. Without waiting for a response Claire turned back to Carlos.

"We have a grave to dig." She said somberly. The redhead was now acting as if Alice wasn't even there. Carlos' eyes fell.

"Two actually." He corrected weakly. Claire nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"I'll go get the shovels." She rasped. She then turned to Rebecca.

"Go tell Mikey and the other's that the coast is clear….just...wait till we move the bodies before letting anybody out of the trucks. I don't want them to have to see this." Rebecca gave Claire a quick thumbs up and turned, jogging back towards the trucks.

"See you in 10," Claire said emotionlessly, pushing her way past Alice and Carlos. She began making her way over to the truck where they stored the tools. Thankful for the distraction. She didn't think she could handle being around Alice right now. Her nerves were fried from nearly being torn apart by dogs. It was a good excuse as any to avoid the blonde for now as far as Claire was concerned.

Carlos looked back at Alice who gave him a weak smile that didn't quite meet her eyes. Carlos' gave her a sympathetic look before reaching forward, drawing the woman into a warm hug.

"Don't mind her. She hasn't been herself lately. It's good to have you back, Alice." Carlos said truthfully.

Alice remained still in her friend's embrace. Having not been around other people the past few months made the warm gesture feel slightly alien to her, even if it was appreciated. She sighed and finally eased into Carlos' arms slightly, letting herself soak up what little comfort she could from her friends embrace.

**To Be Continued...**

**A/N: I sort of hate myself for writing the done to death "Alice to the rescue in the nick of time" chapter...but I couldn't help myself. I wanted to write some gore and violence. Anyways, let me know what you all think, love it, hate it? I am completely open to suggestions! Reviews sure are inspiring (wink wink). Haha, I kid, i kid...sorta. See you guys later!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: The Italics scene in this chapter I stole...I mean borrowed from the first cut scene of the second game to give Claire a little more backstory. And I'd like to thank andrella07 for her awesome editing skills. This chapter would be riddled with grammatical errors and Claire's IQ would have been severely inhibited without her. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil**

**Chapter 4-**

It had felt like an eternity before morning , but sure enough the sun eventually peaked over the horizon as if to try and erase the horrors took place the night before. Alice knew better though. No amount of light would wash away or undo the carnage, no matter how hopeful its rays could shine.

Slowly, members of the convoy woke and began their day to day rituals around the camp, although today was noticeably different. There was no light-hearted chatter or warm murmurs of 'good morning' to be heard. Instead, there was an almost lethargic somber to the air as the two fresh graves Claire and Carlos had dug the night before weighted heavily on the souls around them. The silence was deafening, as if threatening to suffocate everyone caught up in the desperate morale that the terrifying realism of mortality instilled within them all.

By this point Alice had long since retreated to the cab of the truck Carlos was assigned to drive that day. The blonde figured that the sudden death of two comrades was enough for the convoy members to have to deal with. Having them see her hanging around first thing in the morning would only add to the already tense anxiety of the atmosphere. With her tendency to show up only when tragedy struck, Alice couldn't blame them for assuming she was somehow responsible.

Alice grimaced slightly and turned her head to the side till a satisfying 'pop' sounded as her neck realigned itself. Her right hand reached up and clutched at her shoulder as she rolled it, hoping to loosen her stiff joints. She hadn't been able sleep the night before, now her body was punishing her for it. Her shoulders ached, her arms felt sore and over worked and the annoying sting of exhaustion was making it harder and harder to keep her eyes open.

Earlier that night after Carlos had gone to go help Claire dig the graves for the newly deceased convoy members, Alice took it upon herself to get rid of the mess she had created.

She scavenged a few unused tarps from one of the trucks and went to work wrapping the remains of the dog carcasses in them, using some twine to secure the material in place. After finding a spare shovel, Alice then drug the infected remains a good distance away from the camp, going out about a mile and a half. She knew it was overkill, but the extra time to clear her head as she went about the mindless task calmed her to some extent.

When she got out a ways, Alice dug a deep ditch, shoved all four carcasses into the mass grave and covered it over again, taking extra time to pack the soil in hopes of avoiding another pack of coyotes or rabid dogs digging up the infected meat and creating more chaos they'd have to deal with in the future.

When she was finished, Alice slowly made the trek back towards the convoy.

By the time she had returned to camp she noticed the fresh graves almost immediately. Two makeshift crosses constructed out of scavenged pieces of board and rope jutting up from the mounds of dirt made crude, but effective headstones.

Alice had stood by them for a while, just staring at the upturned soil and crosses, her hands balled into tight fists at her side. She hadn't known the deceased. She hadn't even seen their faces. But she felt the weight of their deaths sitting firmly on her shoulders. All the 'what ifs' possible ran through her head as she berated herself silently.

'_I could've gotten here quicker.'_

'_I could've walked faster, picked up the pace. I would've heard the screams and gunshots sooner.'_

'_I could've traveled with spare fuel.'_

'_I could've saved them all if I had been here…'_

Over and over again, Alice played a loop of things she could've done differently over in her head. She knew it was pointless, but it wasn't something she'd been able to avoid. Her guilt pulled her to the graves like a magnet and held her in place. Leaving her free to torture herself as she looked down at another two innocents who lost their lives over something she could have prevented.

Alice wasn't sure exactly how long she had stood there trapped in her thoughts. It wasn't till the soft glow of a campfire broke her from her revere that she left the gravesite and found Carlos waiting for her by the fireside. Claire had already retreated back to the hummer long before, leaving Alice and the ex-cop to catch up and fill one another in on the events of the past few months.

Alice sighed and leaned against the door, resting her head listlessly against the window. She blinked a few times, watching as the morning continued to unfold outside. Minutes later, Alice's eyes slid shut, letting her slip into a fragile state of rest.

* * *

_Claire's Harley sped past the large, gaudy sign reading 'Welcome to Raccoon City' The sun had long since receded below the horizon casting everything__,__ save for her bike's headlight __illuminating__ the road in front of her__,__ into total darkness. An uneasy knot slowly grew in the pit of Claire's stomach as the city just a few miles in front of her steadily grew closer and closer. It may have been a little late, but even then there __still __should have been more of a skyline visible from lights coming from people's homes and apartments. The city however looked dark and sinister from a distance. Every instinct Claire had told her to turn around and stay clear of the city. But her obligation kept her moving forward._

'_Jeez Chris, couldn't of picked a less creepy place to live?' _

_She maneuvered the bike smoothly through a few blocks of apartment buildings, keeping an eye out for any signs of life. Within moments a small diner came into view, lights were on inside giving Claire a miniscule taste of comfort as she pulled up to the curve, killing the engine of her bike. Claire pulled her helmet off and glanced around the desolate streets._

"_Finally here…." She muttered under her breath. "Maybe they have some weird curfew out or something__,"__s__he concluded uneasily. The redhead was suddenly very thankful for the hunting knife strapped securely to her left shoulder. _

_Claire swung her leg, getting off her bike and slowly made her way over to the entrance to 'Emmy's diner', the silence of the barren streets sending a chill up Claire's spine._

_A small bell rang as she pushed open the door to the diner and stepped inside. The lights were on as Claire had observed from the outside, but one thing she hadn't noticed was the fact that there was still not a soul to be seen. Her eyes fell across the __structure__, only making the nagging anxiety in her steadily grow. A few chairs on the far side of the room had been turned over, along with a table. The counters were littered with uneaten food and__ flipped over__ cups, their contents spilled everywhere leaking over the surfaces and onto the floors._

"_Hello?" Claire called, not really expecting an answer. She took a few timid steps forward, the only sound filling the room was her boots hitting the floor tiles with each step._

"_Hello…is anybody here?" She called again. Still no reply._

_As she was about to turn and make a quick exit out of the seemingly empty diner, a small sound suddenly caught Claire's attention. _

_A wet smacking sound, followed by another and another. Against Claire's better judgment she took another step forward, rounding the counter enough to see a man hunched over something, more wet smacking sounds came from his mouth, followed by an empty groan. _

_Claire couldn't stop the surprised gasp from escaping her mouth as the man turned his head up to look at her. His face was a pale grayish tone, the skin on the man's cheek and below his eyes hung loosely from the man's skull, giving his face a sunken appearance .Fresh blood smeared around the man's mouth glinted in the dull light__.__ Another deep groan emanated from the man's throat as the glazed-over whites of the man's eyes angled towards Claire. He dropped whatever he had been hunched over moments before with a dull 'thud' and turned his full attention towards the redhead. His arms rose slightly as he started ambling forward, more desperate moans escaped his gaping mouth. _

_Claire looked down to what the man had discarded, her eyes widened as they fell on the remains of a woman's partially devoured corpse. She took a few steps backward, her eyes returning to the man as he steadily advanced towards her._

"_Look, I'm sorry I bothered you, ok? Just…..don't come any closer!" She warned, unable to hide the steadily growing panic in her voice. The man however, having not been swayed by Claire's demand, continued his steady approach. _

"_Are you listening? I said don't come any closer!" Claire yelled as she felt her back hit the wall. Her eyes frantically swept the diner, looking for an escape route. To her horror, her eyes came to the window __and __she caught a glimpse of four more of those things on the other side. All of them steadily limping towards the glass, throwing their hands up to beat on the transparent surface. _

_Claire turned and made a break for the door a few feet away and grabbed the handle, throw. Although she knew it lead to the alley out back, she was ready to take her chances outside where she could run rather being trapped in a cruddy diner with whatever the hell that man in there was. _

_She threw the door open and gave a short cry of surprise as her eyes fell on the gun being pointed at her._

"_Wait! Don't shoot!" She yelled holding her hands up. The shuffling sound of the man still making his way up behind her sent the hairs on the back of her neck standing, but now she was faced with the decision of either being shot or dealing with whatever it was steadily approaching behind her._

"_Get down!" The man holding the gun suddenly shouted. Claire quickly dropped to __the __damp pavement of the alleyway. The sharp sound of a gun being fire echoed, followed by the dull 'thud' of something dropping to the floor. Claire turned her head to see the man after her sprawled on his back, a bullet hole between his eyes and small pool of blood beginning to form around his head. She swung around to see the man who had shot the thing holding his hand out to her to help her up._

"_We can't stay out here. Head to the police station, it'll be a lot safer there!" He said urgently. Claire took his hand as he pulled her up and the two broke into a run. A dozen or so more of those things were already limping towards them from the other side of the alley. Claire's eyes widened as she quickly glanced back at the people. Most of them were smeared with blood on some parts of their body, but the one thing she noticed was the bite marks. Arms, legs, chests, cheeks, all of them had either one or a handful of bite marks riddling their exposed skin. Some of them had even more then bite marks though. Severed limbs, ankles snapped into impossible angles, gaping wounds in their chests. _

'_These people shouldn't be standing!' Claire thought as she quickened her pace, following whoever it was who had just saved her. _

"_Over there!" The man suddenly yelled over his shoulder. Claire turned her head, her eyes fell on an abandoned police vehicle. Wasting no time, the two flung themselves into the cruiser, locking the door immediately. Thankfully, the keys had been left inside by whoever had been driving the car previously. The man started the car and pushed it in gear, speeding off down the main drag of the city._

"_Buckle up!" He said urgently. Claire raised an eyebrow at the random safety tip and complied, clipping the belt over her lap._

"_What the hell is going on? I arrived in town and the whole place went insane!" Claire exclaimed, trying to catch her breath and slow her thundering heart beat. The man reached for the radio attached to the dash of the police cruiser__;__ however the blaring sound of static was the only thing that could be heard._

"_Great, radios out…" He cursed aloud in agitation. Claire then noticed the R.P.D. emblem on the man's shoulder._

"_You're a cop….right?" She asked, an edge of skepticism in her voice._

"_Yeah. First day on the job, great right?" The man chuckled sardonically._

"_Names Leon Kennedy. Nice to meet you." _

"_Mines Claire, Claire Redfield. I came here to find my brother, Chris__," she__ replied. Her eyes widened as she looked out the window. Dozens more walking corpses lined the streets, all of them donning either bite marks or wounds that would surely put down even the most agile of human beings. A cold spike of fear ran up Claire's spine._

'_What the hell are those things….' She thought to herself._

"_Hey could you open the glove box?" Leon asked suddenly, breaking the silence between them._

"_Sure," Claire reached forward and undid the clasp, opening the glove compartment to reveal a handgun resting inside. Her eyebrow perked._

"_There's a gun inside." _

_Leon nodded. " Better take it with you."_

_Claire reached inside and picked up the handgun. It was a standard Glock 22., Claire knew the weapon well. Chris had taught her how to use it years back, it was the handgun most cops were issued in Raccoon. She held up the gun, looking it over briefly and checked to make sure it was loaded. The comfortable weight and feel of the gun in her hands gave her a sense of familiarity._

_Leon swerved the car around a corner and sped up slightly, more and more of the walking corpses were in the streets now, they slowly began making their way toward the car as it sped past them. _

_Claire glanced over at Leon__;__h__e was young for a cop, looking maybe in his early 20's. His light brown hair hung loosely over his forehead, covering his brown eyes slightly. He wore the typical R.P.D uniform Claire had seen Chris wear many times before he was recruited into the S.T.A.R.S. __She__ couldn't help but think this Leon Kennedy looked more like he belong__ed__ in some boy band slacking off and cutting classes in__ a__ university instead of being a full-fledged law enforcement officer. _

_A slight rustling sound in the backseat suddenly caught Claire's attention._

_She glanced over her shoulder only to come face to face with the rotting scowl of another reanimated corpse. It's mouth falls open as a low growl erupts from its throat, the corpse lunge__d__ headfirst at Claire, it's hands however have already been cuffed securely behind it's back._

_Claire yelps in surprise and ducks away from the man just as Leon does the same, sending the car hurtling for a brick wall._

"_Shit!" Leon shouts as the car barrels into the__ barrier__, propelling the unbuckled corpse forward. The man bursts through the windshield as he flies into the wall headfirst, the sickening snap of his skull cracking by the force could be heard._

_Claire brings a hand up to her neck and rubs it slightly, looking over at a bewildered Leon._

"_You ok?" He asks. Claire nods and grimaces slightly, regretting the actions immediately._

"_Still in one piece." She confirms._

_A flicker of light in the rear view mirror catches Leon's attention._

_Little did they know, the entire time they had been driving down the streets__;__ they had failed to see the semi behind them. The driver, having suffered a bite wound was slowly losing consciousness and __his __control of the vehicle was steadily becoming worse and worse. That same truck was now getting closer and closer, with no signs of slowing._

"_Shit, Claire get out now!" Leon shouted as he lunged for the driver's side door. _

"_What?" Claire glanced backward to see the truck that was just moments from colliding with the cruiser._

"_Shit!" Claire undid her seat belt and flung the passenger side door open, she threw herself out of the cruiser and ducked for cover just as the semi truck collided with the car. Exploding on impact._

_

* * *

_

Claire sat up abruptly, her right hand had already drawn the glock 17 from its holster; she held it out at the ready, breathing heavily from the nightmare she had just had.

It took a few moments and a handful of long, steady breathes, but Claire finally had managed to calm herself. She fell back against the backpack she had been resting on and re-holstered her gun. Clenching her eyes shut tightly, Claire brought a hand up to cover her eyes and grimaced into her palm.

The nightmare wasn't anything new. Her first encounter with the undead was something she had relived in her dreamscape more times then she bothered to keep track of. Her introduction to the nightmare Umbrella had created in that town was ingrained in her mind and would stay that way till she stopped breathing.

"You ok?" Came a small concerned voice from the front seat of the hummer. Claire looked up to see K-Mart looking down at her worriedly.

"You were breathing hard and crying out in your sleep…was it another nightmare?" K-mart asked softly.

Claire looked at her for a few moments, unsure of how to answer before giving a vague nod.

"It's…it's nothing. I'm fine."She rasped. K-Mart nodded.

"Carlos said we'll be taking off in about 10 minutes….Would you mind if I rode with him and Alice today….I'd like to visit with her." The blonde teen asked in a small voice.

The sharp reminder of the blonde woman's return was like someone throwing a bucket of ice water on Claire.

"Alice….She's...?"

K-mart gave Claire a strange look and nodded.

"Yeah…remember….you told me she's-" K-Mart stammered.

"Yeah. Yeah I remember. Sure, you go on ahead. Tell Carlos I'm ready to take off." Claire said hurriedly, sitting up. She climbed over the seat and slipped into the driver's side.

"Are you sure?….I don't have to if…"

"No. It's fine, K-Mart. Go keep her and Carlos company." Claire said, giving K-Mart an assuring look. K-Mart gave a small nod and turned, exiting through the passenger side door leaving Claire to her thoughts.

The red-head watched as the blonde teen walked away towards one of the trucks and turned her head. She took a few calming breathes and leaned forward, resting her head and hands on the steering wheel. A mixture of thoughts including the nightmare, Leon, Alice, and the attack just the night before clouded her mind.

Claire scowled deeply and growled lowly into the silence of the truck. A painful fury simmered deeply beneath her surface. Memories of Leon saving her ass multiple times in the disaster at Raccoon city and the couple of times Alice had to jump in at the last minute to save the day sent a frustrated wave of anger through her. Anger at her weakness, anger at her mistakes, anger at her failures. Claire couldn't stop the pure rage directed at herself from flooding through her being. And much to her surprise, she felt some of the anger rest on Alice as well; though she knew it was unjust and that Alice had done nothing wrong to deserve it.

"Claire, everyone's set. Whenever you're ready." Carlos' voice came over the radio suddenly. Claire sat up and reached for the device, she could just barely make out the slight buzzing of K-Mart talking excitedly to Alice in the background.

"Right, let's get moving." She replied, carefully trying to keep her voice steady.

Claire turned the keys into the ignition and the hummer roared to life as the vehicles around her did the same. She turned her head to see Carlos' truck round about to begin the typical formation they followed as they traveled. Claire's sight trailed up the grill of the truck and eventually fell on the windshield. Green eyes locked with a pair of tired-looking blue for a split second, sending a steady chill up Claire's spine. She forced herself to look away and stepped down on the gas pedal, sending the truck forward to the front of the line to lead the formation.

Claire's vision was trained forward on the road ahead; she wasn't sure where they'd end up today, or how far they'd travel. The only thing she could concentrate on was the nervous tension forming in her shoulders and the painful migraine that was slowly but surely forming in her aching skull. While on the road today avoiding Alice would be easy. But the convoy leader was well aware that she couldn't evade her forever. She'd eventually have to face the blonde, whether she was ready to or not.

She fell back into the seat and glanced at the rearview mirror briefly before turning her attention back to driving. The memory of unsettling cobalt eyes looking directly through her filled her thoughts as she sped down the barren strip of road. The line of trucks making up the rest of the convoy followed in suit, beginning another long day of traveling.

**To be continued...**

**A/N: Love it? Hate It? Suggestions? Let me know what you think! I know this chapter was pretty dry on Claire/Alice interaction, but the next makes up for that greatly. Reviews are greatly appreciated. I'll see you guys later!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil. **

**Chapter 5:**

_3 Months Earlier…_

_Alice breathe__d__ slowly out of her mouth, watching as the frosty night air turn__ed__ it to steam and let the wind carry it away. She tighten__ed__ the thin jacket around her lithe form and pull__ed__ her knees closer to her chest, staring off into the distance._

_With at least 2 hours till the sun was due to rise__,__ the sky above was still a rich, dark shade of blue__dotted with little pinpricks of light from the warm glow of stars._

_Alice closed her eyes against another chilly gust of wind, letting a wistful smile touch her lips. Thoughts of olive green eyes and auburn hair tugged at her heart, rekindling the longing she had been harboring for the convoy leader since she first set eyes on her. Initially she had passed the nagging feelings off as mere curiosity. The confidence and control Claire exerted over the convoy was admirable. It wasn't a job to be taken on lightly. But there was something about the way Claire carried herself that Alice couldn't help but find incredibly endearing. Something about__ her__ drew Alice in. She found her eyes would stray towards the redhead's general direction without prompt. She'd take on watch shifts solely because she knew Claire and her would be forced to interact. She'd find any meager excuse possible to be around the convoy leader, eager to get to know what lay behind those vibrant green eyes._

_So why was she running now?_

_Hours previously Alice had been unrolling her bedroll by an unlit campfire on the far side of camp. The sun had set and the air had already taken on a chilly bite, the wind making it even worse._

_The steady sound of footsteps approaching was the first thing that had alerted Alice to her presence. Alice stifled a smirk and quirked an eyebrow._

"_Claire Redfield, how can I help you?" She asked playfully, turning to see Claire stop in her tracks and cross her arms in front of her chest, a smirk matching her own in place._

"_I don't know how the hell you do that, but it's impressive." The redhead says shaking her head. Alice chuckles but says nothing. Claire glances around at the small setup Alice has and frowns._

"_You're planning on sleeping out here tonight?" She asks._

"_That's the plan." Alice says simply. _

"_Alice, it's getting way to cold out. Why don't you come and bunk with me and K-Mart tonight." Claire said. Alice may have been kidding herself, but she could have sworn she picked up genuine concern in the redheads voice._

"_It's alright, Carlos already offered." _

_Claire raised a challenging eyebrow._

"_But I'm not Carlos." Claire said countered a smirk.__Alice turned and met the redheads stubborn gaze, perking an eyebrow, a crooked grin tugging at the corner of her mouth._

"_No…no you're not. I don't want to crowd you guys though. I'll be fine out here, Claire. Really."_

_Unfazed by Alice's attempts at reassurance, Claire took a few purposeful steps forward and knelt down next to Alice, placing a hand over one of the blonde's to still her movements. Alice looked up and met Claire's eyes. She held her breath for a few beats, not expecting the redhead's sudden close proximity._

_Much to Alice's surprise Claire's stubborn smirk fell and in its place, a worried frown grew._

"_You won't be crowding us Alice….And the hummer may not be warmer by much, but it's better than being out here. Please." Claire said, almost pleadingly. _

_Alice found she couldn't respond for a few seconds, her entire attention was focused on the beautiful green eyes looking back at her, effectively throwing her off guard._

_Shaking out of her revere, she gave a small, tentative nod._

"_Alright__," s__he rasped. Claire smiled and nodded, obviously proud of her persuasive skills._

_After that the redhead led Alice to the yellow truck and the two climbed inside. K-Mart smiled excitedly to see Claire return with the blonde in tow. _

"_Hey Alice." The blonde teen greeted from the front seat sleepily, she had already lain out a sleeping bag and looked ready for bed. _

"_Hey." Alice said softly, smiling at the tired girl._

_Claire rounded the truck and pulled open the hatch. She moved some equipment out of the way before sliding a latch in place, lowering the backseat down, creating a large enough space for her and Alice to sleep._

"_It's not the four seasons, but it's better than nothing." The redhead sighed, climbing in and scooting over to make room for Alice. The blonde hesitated for a moment, glancing between the small area and Claire before climbing in next to her. She slammed the door shut behind her and heard the 'click' of K-Mart locking the doors from up front, sending them all into darkness._

"_Night Claire. Night Alice." K-Mart mumbled through a yawn._

"_Night, K." Claire murmured._

"_Night." Alice replied meekly._

_For a few long moments after that it was silent, the only sound to be heard was the soft, even breathing of K-Mart and the convoy leader. Alice shivered slightly, though not from the cold. The mere inches separating her and Claire was driving the blonde insane as her senses were being overloaded by the woman next to her. She could practically feel the redhead's skin brushing against hers teasingly as their body heat mingled together. Every breath she took she caught hints of Claire's pleasant scent, relaxing her immensely and sending her heart racing all at once. _

"_Goodnight, Alice." Claire whispered behind her. Alice thought it was her imagination at first it was so faint. She took a calming breath to steady her shaking voice._

"_Sleep well, Claire." Alice replied softly, cursing herself slightly at hearing the slight waver in her voice._

_The blonde bit at the inside of her cheek and shut her eyes, caught between trying to block out all her surroundings and forcing herself to sleep or greedily indulging in each and every moment she got to be this close to the redhead. Her normally keen self-control was slipping with each small movement Claire made as the urge to reach over and touch her grew stronger and stronger. Alice wanted to run her hand over the redhead's soft skin. Thread her fingers between strands of auburn hair. The fact that she was so close was only making the desire within her burn brighter. It was torture. _

_Alice shook out of her thoughts from the night before and set her gaze forward over the landscape. She knew in a few hours the light would begin to peak up over the skyline and illuminate the horizon. She rubbed her hands over her arms and trembled as another cold breeze blew by, freezing her skin and sending uncontrollable shutters throughout her frame. _

_Her senses perked suddenly as a small sound came from behind her. Alice turned to see the very person entertaining most of her thoughts for the past hour or so climbing up the latter attached to the side of the bus._

"_What are you doing up?" Alice asked softly as Claire crept over to where she was sitting and took a spot beside her._

"_What are you?" Claire countered. Alice chuckled and rolled her eyes, looking over at the redhead fondly._

"_I didn't wake you did I?" The blonde asked apologetically. Claire shook her head._

"_No. I just woke up and saw you were gone. Knew you were probably freezing your ass off out here somewhere…. figured I'd come and join you." _

_Alice let out a low laugh and glanced at Claire who was still smirking at her playfully. The redhead chuckled for a few more moments before glancing away, breaking eye contact. After a couple of beats she returned her gaze to Alice, instead of a smirk though, her face had fallen into the same concerned frown that sent an aching pang to Alice's chest._

"_Alice, why are you out here?" Claire asked softly, her normally confident voice was now a small and almost timid murmur._

_Alice looked away from Claire's pleading stare._

"_I um…..I like to watch the sunrise." Alice offered weakly before turning back to Claire__,__u__nable to look her in the eyes and lie to her face at the same time. Claire raised an eyebrow, obviously not buying the excuse but nodded__ anyways__._

"_Alright..." She said slowly. _

_There was a few more beats of silence, Claire glanced down at her lap in a surprisingly shy gesture and turned to meet Alice's eyes again._

"_Mind if I watch it with you?" She asked._

_Alice was unable to stifle the fond smile tugging at the corners of her lips._

"_Not at all."_

_

* * *

_Claire pinched the bridge of her nose, cringing slightly behind her sunglasses. She hadn't had any nicotine since the day before yesterday and the withdrawal headache mingled with stress was really getting to her.

It had only been about half an hour since they decided to stop for the night and set up camp. Most of the people by this point had settled in, though their spirits were still dampened considerably since the previous night, they had had sometime to mend slightly. There were tentative conversations going on, rations were being shared and fuel was being distributed throughout the trucks by Carlos and Mikey. It all seemed like just another night; though there was a slight, but very noticeable difference that all were very well aware of.

Alice made her way through the camp, easily brushing off the surprised stares, slipping her usual aloof demeanor in place. For the convoy members, it was a surprise to see the mysterious loner around again. The majority had assumed her to be dead- or as good as dead- shortly after her abrupt departure just months previously.

Alice took a quick glance around and rounded the ambulance. Much to her surprise, coming face to face with Rebecca as the young medic hopped from the back hatch of the heavily armored vehicle.

"Oh! Hey, Alice. Sorry about that, didn't see you there." The girl greeted lightheartedly. She then held a gloved hand out.

"That reminds me. I never got to properly introduce myself last night. I'm Rebecca Chambers." She said pleasantly, flashing her usual bright smile. Alice returned with a weak smile of her own and briefly shook the hand offered.

"Nice to meet you, Rebecca."

"Carlos told me a lot about you. Thank you so much for your help last night." She said, her face growing very serious. Alice nodded.

"It wasn't a problem. I'm glad I could help." She offered modestly.

Rebecca, seeing the woman's obvious discomfort decided to quickly change the subject.

"Are you settling in ok?" The young girl asked conversationally. "Well- as settled in as you can get while constantly traveling," she amended. Alice chuckled and nodded.

"Yes, thank you."

Rebecca nodded smiling, the radio then blared annoyingly loud from her belt, Mikey's grainy voice sounding over the connection.

"Rebecca, can you give us a hand over by the tanker? Carlos could use a third set of hands and Claire's not answering."

Rebecca grabbed the radio and brought the device up by her mouth. Alice's attention perked at the mentioning of the convoy leader's name.

"Sure I'll be right there Mikey." She replied. Rebecca cast a quick apologetic glance at Alice and smiled.

"Sorry to cut this short. We should talk some later, get to know each other." She said casting Alice a friendly smile before turning to slam the back hatch of the ambulance shut. Alice gave a small nod, surprised that the medic seemed undaunted by her less than stellar reputation.

"Sure, I'd like that." The blonde said smiling slightly. Rebecca gave a small wave before turning and taking off toward where she had been called. Alice watched the young medic for a few beats before chuckling and continuing her way through camp. Her thoughts wandering back to a certain redhead as she strolled through the large trucks, half expecting to run into her at any moment.

Alice sighed and shoved her hands into her pockets, kicking at a few stones at her feet. She knew she should at least try to talk to Claire, but something in her gut told her that the redhead wouldn't hear her out quite yet.

'_How much time am I supposed to give her?'_ Alice thought in frustration.

She kicked a particularly large stone, watching it rocket off skidding across the surface of the ground, and getting some impressive distance.

"I don't think I can stay away much longer." Alice mumbled wistfully beneath her breath.

* * *

Sometime later that night…

Claire stared blankly into the small campfire, watching as the flames lapped at the dry wood and ignited the small amount of tinder she had thrown in moments before. The redhead's eyes were locked in a thousand yard stare as she let her thoughts wander freely, most of which centering on a certain blonde.

It all seemed so dreamlike to her. One moment the blonde-loner was gone, leaving Claire to believe she'd never see her again. And just like that she comes strolling back into her life, as if she'd never left. Claire would never admit it…she was happy Alice was back, but it stirred an insecurity within the redhead that she couldn't shake as much as she tried.

She wasn't an idiot. There was something she felt for the blonde that she refused to put name to just yet. And it scared her. She didn't like the idea of growing attached to anyone, let alone someone who could come and go as easily as Alice was capable of. It made for greater odds of getting hurt if she were to leave again. Claire didn't think she could handle something like that a second time. The redhead cringed inwardly.

'_Who am I kidding? I couldn't even handle it the first time.' _

Claire couldn't even remember the last time a night went by where Alice hadn't somehow wormed her way into her dreams. Those iridescent blue eyes, her soft melodic voice… It was details like those that had haunted her relentlessly in the blonde's absence. It made the convoy leader wish she could hate Alice and completely bury whatever it was she felt for her, but the resolve would never stick.

Even now.

Claire couldn't lie. Part of her wanted to go hunt down the flaky blonde and throttle her while simultaneously give her the verbal thrashing of a lifetime. While the other part wanted to throw her arms around her neck and thank her for coming back. Maybe even beg her to stay…

Claire snorted in bitter amusement and reached for the pack of cigarettes she usually kept in the pocket on her pant leg.

"Great." She muttered seconds later, remembering she'd gone through the last pack nearly 3 days ago. Claire huffed in annoyance and grabbed a handful of sand, tossing it into the fire and watching as each grain irritated the flames into a frantic dance around the charred log.

Suddenly, something fell to the ground beside her with a muted 'thud', causing her to jump in surprise. She whipped her head around to see what had caused the noise.

"No fucking way…."She mumbled in disbelief as her eyes fell onto a large carton of unfiltered Camels. The brand Claire favored. The redhead's eyebrows knit together; she suddenly felt a familiar pair of eyes on the back of her neck. A small, begrudging smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"Whatever happened to 'smoking's bad for me'?" She asked, not bothering to stifle the smartass tone in her voice. She didn't even need to look behind her to know who had thrown the box; there was only one person who was ever able to get the drop on her.

Alice slowly took a few tentative steps closer to the redhead and finally knelt down to take a seat beside her, leaving a good few feet between herself and the convoy leader. She carefully avoided Claire's stare and instead chose to train her sight on the flames before her.

"It's something you enjoy, right? I figure…they're worth it." Alice said in a small, almost timid voice. She rested her elbows on her knees and leaned forward, dropping her head slightly to look down at her feet.

Claire felt a small shutter ripple up her spine at hearing the blonde's voice again. The lilt in Alice's words had an almost hypnotic effect on her whenever she spoke. She couldn't quite put into words just how much she had missed simply hearing the soft spoken woman speak.

Claire looked over at the carton still resting in the sand and reached over, taking it into her hands. She raised an eyebrow, amazed to find it had yet to be opened.

'_How did she…?'_

"This must've been a bitch to find." Claire said through a disbelieving chuckle.

"Those things are hard to come by these days, so I hear." Alice agreed, echoing Claire's words from months back.

The somber tone of Alice's voice tugged painfully at Claire's heart. She was used to seeing the usual neutral expression the blonde usually wore, but the fragile look in her eyes at that moment made her look so vulnerable and broken. It unnerved Claire slightly and made her feel fiercely protective of the blonde.

'_I haven't seen her smile once since she's gotten back.' _Claire thought wistfully. She found herself longing to bring the smile back to Alice's eyes, hoping to heal whatever it was causing the blonde so much pain.

"Thank you." Claire said truthfully, letting her voice soften.

Alice finally allowed herself to look over at Claire. Regret weighing heavily in her baby blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, Claire. I just-"

Claire raised her hand up, silencing Alice mid-sentence.

"What matters is-you came back," the redhead said in a soft, reassuring voice. Though Claire couldn't help but still feel a slight urge to chew the blonde out and threaten her to cut the constant martyr bullshit she was so keen on. However, the convoy leader chose to suppress the residual anger the best she could. Something in her knew for a fact that Alice was already beating herself up enough right now. The blonde's eyes hid nothing about what was going through her head at that moment.

"I didn't mean to hurt you." Her voice nothing more than a raw, pained whisper. As if her resolve threatened to break at any second.

"You didn't." Claire blurted out a little too quickly.

'_Lying right through my teeth there.' _Claire thought angrily, she mentally kicked herself knowing for a fact that no one with half a brain would've bought her urgent reply.

Alice lowered her eyes feeling slightly wounded by the redhead's reply, but chose to say nothing. She turned to look back at the fire, her eyes once again trained on the orange flames. Claire rolled her eyes, still aggravated at herself. She glanced down at the carton in her hands and carefully opened one end of the box to retrieve one of the packets from inside.

She quickly broke into the fresh pack and plucked a cigarette from its confines, placing it between her lips. She quickly lit up, letting the smoke fill her lungs for a few deliriously sweet seconds. The fresh shot of nicotine quickly began working its magic, calming her erratic nerves and relaxing her tense muscles. She could already feel her migraine begin to dissolve into nothing more than a faint, forgettable ache behind her eyes.

For the next few moments there was nothing but a comfortable silence between them. Claire continued to take a few more long drags from her cigarette, quietly smoking while Alice stared off into the distance letting her thoughts mull around in her head.

"You try leaving like that again though and I'm going to have to drag your ass kicking and screaming right back here." The redhead finally muttered in a very frank tone, effectively breaking the silence between them. Alice glanced over at her, for the first time since coming back a genuine smile gracing her features. However, the smile quickly narrowed into a challenging smirk, the blonde's eyebrow raised in amusement.

"Is that so?" she chided playfully. Claire grinned wickedly at her.

"Yep. And I'm pretty sure Carlos and K-Mart would be more than happy to help. So don't think you can pull your Jason Bourne bullshit on all three of us."

Alice broke into full on laughter, her eyes twinkling with mirth. Claire tried to maintain her serious expression for as long as she could, but failed miserably as an amused chuckle leaked from her lips and quickly grew into laughter as well. The two marveled at how good it felt to be able to laugh again. The feeling was indescribable. For three long months neither of them could remember the last time they were able to let go and just laugh.

A feeling of pure elation swept over Claire at the sound of the blonde's laughter. It was bright and beautiful, just like her smile and created a pleasant flutter in the pit of her stomach. The redhead, having grown used to seeing the usual neutral expression Alice generally wore, knew to cherish moments like this where the blonde let one of her genuine smiles slip past her guard and shine through.

Claire quickly shook out of her revere, hoping she had caught herself before Alice noticed her staring. As the laughter slowly died down, Claire turned her attention back to the pack of camels clutched in her palm. She tapped the bottom of the pack a few times till a single cigarette jutted up from the small opening at the top. She then leaned over, offering it to Alice, willing her hand to stay steady.

Alice glanced down at the offered cigarette, then back at Claire, raising an eyebrow.

"Claire Redfield sharing her cigarettes? If the world hadn't already ended I'd be worried right about now." She drawled, raising the back of her hand to press it against Claire's forehead then moving it down to brush against her cheek, pretending to check her temperature.

"Hm. Doesn't feel like you've got a fever."

Claire scoffed and half-heartedly batted Alice's cool hand away from her. Hoping the blush threatening to tinge her cheeks wasn't as visible as she feared it was. Her flushed skin still hummed pleasantly from the teasing contact, sending an excited shiver down her spine.

Alice chuckled once more, casting Claire a crooked grin before finally taking the cigarette she had been offered and placing it between her lips.

"Got a light?" She asked casually. Claire nodded and reached into her pocket, quickly producing her zippo. She shifted closer to Alice, thankful for the excuse to close the distance and flipped the lighter open. Claire raised her hand up closer to the tip of Alice's cigarette and ran her thumb down the wheel a few times, trying to get the flame started. After the third failed attempt Alice raised a gloved hand to shield the budding flame from the breeze. Her fingers gently brushing against Claire's hand as the redhead struck the wheel again, finally producing a flame. For a few extra beats, Alice's hand stayed resting against Claire's as the flame lapped at the tip of the cigarette. Their eyes locked.

Claire felt nearly breathless looking into Alice's eyes. The light from the fire making her light-blue irises look nearly gold against the orange hue the flames cast. She looked truly beautiful at that moment and Claire felt herself gravitating forward.

A loud pop from the campfire finally shook her from her revere. She snapped the lighter closed and forced herself to pull away, her heart thundered loudly in her chest. She knew if she were to hold her hands up they would be trembling. Alice cleared her throat nervously and turned back as well, looking visibly shaken.

Neither of them spoke after that and instead chose to quietly continue smoking in silence. The distance between them was no longer a few cautious feet anymore, but mere inches.

Though there was certainly some amount of tension in the air between them, the silence for the most part was comfortable. For the first time in three months they both allowed themselves to feel a certain amount of peace, simply enjoying one another's company. There may have been things unsaid for the time being. But for now the simple moment of contentment was enough.

**To be continued...**

**A/N: What you guys think? Love it, Hate it, suggestions? Let me know what you guys think! I'd love to hear it!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer- I don't own Resident Evil**

**Rated:T**

**Chapter 6-**

"Sorry about this Stevie."

Alice rested her finger on the trigger of her crossbow and fired, sending the bolt straight between the eyes of Stevie with careful precision. The arrow hit with enough force to completely pierce the ghoul's skull and stick him up against the side of the semi behind him. A spurt of blood gushed from the exit wound, spattering the white side of the truck with crimson fluid.

Carlos whistled approvingly and lowered the binoculars he had been using to observe the entire scene.

"Nice shot." He said, casting a grin in Alice's direction. The blonde chuckled and quickly disassembled the intricate weapon with practiced ease.

"How's it looking up there guys?" Claire's voice came over the radio in Carlos' hand. The convoy had kept a safe distance back while Alice and the ex-cop had volunteered to go on ahead in the hummer to assess the threat level of the possible fuel outlet. Carlos raised the radio up by his mouth.

"Looks alright from here. Shall we proceed?" He replied, glancing over at Alice who was quietly waiting for a response from the convoy leader. After a few beats of dead air Claire finally replied.

"It's your call guys."

Carlos raised his eyebrows at Alice, silently inquiring her input. She gave a slight nod and climbed into the driver's seat of the hummer.

"Alright, we're going on ahead. You guys start making your way up," Carlos confirmed, clipping the radio back onto his belt. He climbed into the passenger seat as Alice shifted the truck into gear, starting off towards the small petrol station.

"Chances this'll be worth the trip?" Carlos asked, shouldering his PM-98.

"Slim, but might as well give it a shot." Alice replied, never taking her eyes from the road. She pulled into the parking lot of the gas station and killed the engine. Carlos hopped out of the hummer and beelined for the tanks, followed by Alice who upholstered one of her LDA pistols. The petrol station was quiet and run down, looking as if looters had already left the place in shambles years previously.

Carlos grabbed one of the fuel hoses, testing the nozzle experimentally. While he went through the four pumps checking each for fuel, Alice slowly made her way over to the front entrance of the station. Holding her pistol at the ready, she cautiously pushed past the screen door. In the distance she heard the rumble of the other trucks from the convoy approaching down the road.

Alice continued forward, taking a few hesitant steps into the dimly lit store, her senses on high alert ready to pick up the slightest movement.

A loud cluttering noise suddenly shattered the overwhelming silence of the room, causing her to jump. She glanced down, glaring at an overturned glass jar filled with a few coins. She shook her head in annoyance and continued forward, her eyes locked on the doorway at the far end of the room. She made her way over to it and gently nudged it open, regretting the action immediately.

The putrid stench of decomposed flesh hit Alice in an overwhelming wave, causing her eyes to water and a disgusted sputter to escape her lips. She fumbled for her shawl to shield her face as a barrage of flies and gnats buzzed up and around her in a frenzied mass, all of them having fed on the decaying corpse hanging from the ceiling of the small bathroom. The person evidently had committed suicide. Alice coughed into her shawl and squinted her eyes against the insects, she went to retreat from the room when something on the floor by the dead person's feet caught her eye. She knelt down and retrieved what looked to be a small, red journal and quickly pulled back away from the room, shutting the door behind her. She hurried back outside, gulping down lung full after lung full of fresh air, desperate to rid her nose from the scent of death.

"Find anything useful?"

Alice turned to see Claire waiting for her by the corner of the building. The rest of the convoy had finally pulled into the petrol station at this point. While the others tried to distribute what little fuel there was to be found evenly amongst the vehicles, Claire had noticed the blonde's absence and went to go find her.

Alice glanced down at the journal in her hands, using her thumb to brush through some of the pages. Most of the entries were made up of small cut outs of maps and paragraphs of hurried print. One word in particular written multiple times throughout the pages in gaudy, red marker caught Alice's eye. Arcadia.

"I'm not sure." Alice finally mumbled.

"Anything inside?" Claire asked. Alice glanced back at the building briefly and shook her head.

"Picked clean. And, uh….don't let K-Mart go inside."Alice warned, not wanting the teen to see anymore horrors than she had to. Claire nodded in understanding and sighed, leaning back against a nearby wall. Alice's features dropped into a concerned frown, she went and took a spot on the wall next to Claire, looking over at the redhead with perceptive blue eyes.

"There's something wrong."Alice said, not even having to guess. Claire looked down at her feet but said nothing. The redhead then cleared her throat and finally turned her gaze back up at Alice, her eyes shielded behind her dark aviators.

"We're low on supplies. Only have enough fuel for another day or two after this. And we've drained pretty much every fuel source in this area within the past few months…" Claire trailed off. Alice raised her hand and placed it on Claire's forearm.

"We'll figure something out." Alice assured her through a whisper. Claire shook her head.

"We're running out of options Alice."

Claire tucked a lock of red hair behind her ear and turned her eyes out to watch over the convoy. Alice wished she could say something to comfort the redhead who was obviously troubled over what their next course of action would be, but Alice found she didn't know if there really were any words she could use to put Claire's mind at ease.

* * *

**Later that night…**

Alice reclined on her sleeping bag, using a flashlight as her only source of light while she fingered through the pages of the journal, her eyes scanning each word and picture intently.

Maps of Alaska with certain areas circled in red, newspaper clippings, most of which were articles on the incident in Raccoon City, promises of this 'Arcadia' place being free of infection due to its isolation from the outside world. Alice went through the journal several times, completely immersed in the book as she absorbed the information and theories on each page.

With every reading she was slowly becoming more convinced this Arcadia place was worth giving a shot. In a lot of ways it made sense. Alaska was too cold for most living things to survive, the sparse population would make it more difficult for the infection to spread and the glaciers, snow banks and various bodies of water would act as an effective barrier between the healthy and the infected. There really was a chance that it could be a legitimate answer to their problems; maybe not a permanent one, but it was better than where they were now.

Alice flipped to a specific page that she had dog-eared earlier and re-read the scribbled passage describing a broadcast the writer had picked up from a radio transmission.

"No infection…" Alice read aloud, tracing over the sentence written and underlined several times with the tips of her fingers.

"What's that?"

Alice turned her head up to see K-Mart standing a few feet away, a label-less food can clutched in her hand.

"Hey." Alice greeted through a lethargic smile. K-Mart handed the can to Alice and took a seat next to her on the sleeping bag.

"It's some kind of soup I think…best we got," the teen said, casting Alice an apologetic look. Alice looked down at the can and chuckled.

"Thank you."

K-Mart smiled sweetly and craned her head to see what Alice had in her hands.

"Whatcha looking at?" She asked curiously. Alice set the can down by her leg and sat up straighter, cracking the book open to give K-Mart a better look. The teen's eyes scanned the passage and fell on the underlined sentence 'no infection.' She glanced back at Alice, an optimistic glint in her eye.

"You think it could be telling the truth? A place with no infection?"

Alice shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know. It might be." She offered weakly, hoping not to get the teen's hopes up too much.

"Where'd you find this?" K-Mart asked, turning the page over in Alice's hand and reading over a few more passages.

"In the gas station we hit this afternoon…" Alice said, carefully excluding the fact that the previous owner had committed suicide. K-Mart continued to read for a few seconds more before sitting back and looking up at Alice. Alice caught the look and knit her eyebrows together giving the teen a questioning look.

"What?" She asked. K-Mart shrugged.

"I saw you and Claire talking today…are you guys ok now?" The teen asked hesitantly. Alice was a little caught off guard by the question.

"I like to think so." She answered, remembering the banter and looks her and the convoy leader had shared a few nights back. K-Mart seemed satisfied, happy even, by the answer and smiled up at Alice.

"I'm glad. She seems a lot happier now that you're back."

Alice looked taken aback by K-Mart's statement, not knowing quite how to respond. She fidgeted restlessly with her hands for a moment.

"How's she been?" Alice finally asked. K-Mart stayed quiet for a few seconds, her smile fell as she remembered the slum Claire had fallen into with Alice's departure.

"I think that's something you should ask _her_." K-Mart said, looking back at Alice with a maturity beyond her years. The blonde couldn't help but notice the knowing glint in the teen's eye.

* * *

**Later that Night…**

Alice twitched and jerked violently in her sleep, strangled moans and whimpers escaped her throat as her face contorted into a pained grimace.

_The blue coil of the T-virus sample emptied, feeding down a plastic IV line and flooded directly into Alice's vein. An indescribable burning sensation rose up her arm and began circulating throughout her body like wild fire. Her __heartbeat__ increased dramatically, the EKG machine she was hooked to became a blaring alarm as her heart threatened to crack through her ribcage. _

"_She's going into cardiac arrest. We have to stop the procedure __or__ we'll lose her again." A doctor hovering above her stated in a bored, unfeeling disposition. _

"_No. Keep going." Another doctor drawled confidently._

"_But sir-"_

"_I said keep going." The second doctor repeated in a tone that left no room for argument._

_Alice tried to breathe but her lungs refused to draw in any air. The burning had traveled to her chest now, making her lungs and throat feel as if they were slowly being crushed. A strangled gasp ripped its way out of her throat. She arched up on the table, her arms and legs spasmed before tensing up again. Every muscle in her body contracted painfully, the blinding agony of the virus attacking her DNA cells and latching onto them made her see white. Her eyes rolled back into her skull as wet choking sounds began erupting from her throat._

"_Her vitals are off the charts. She's going to have a heart attack if she doesn't suffocate first__,"__t__he first doctor said, glancing down at a clipboard._

"_Give her a moment__,"__t__he second doctor replied._

_Alice fell back onto the table, a long exhale of air hissed from her mouth as her throat finally opened. The EKG machine screeched into a haunting flat line. The woman on the table didn't move__; __her half-lidded eyes stared blankly up at the ceiling exhibiting no life whatsoever._

_The first doctor sighed in annoyance._

"_Great__," h__e spat, violently scribbling something down on the clipboard. The second doctor leaned in closer to Alice's motionless body. His eyes stared deeply into hers._

"_I'm calling time of death, eight twenty-"_

_Before the first doctor could finish his sentence the machine started beeping again. Slowly at first, only a few beeps spaced out seconds apart, gradually they grew closer together. Within moments the rhythm was back to that of a normal heartbeat. _

_Alice's eyes shot open as a loud, painful gasp shuddered through her form, drawing in her first breath of air since the procedure began over 5 minutes ago. Her muscles twitched and jumped grotesquely beneath her pale flesh as the virus began repairing the tissue that had ripped and torn during the traumatic process. _

"_Oh my god…" The first doctor said, clearly in awe. The second doctor pulled down his face mask, a proud smirk adorning his features as he leaned in even closer for a better look at the woman sprawled on the table. _

"_Dr. Isaacs….y-you've done it. She's bonded with the virus! It's regenerating her!" The first doctor exclaimed. _

_Dr. Isaacs' grin widened as he looked down at the disoriented woman. Her blue eyes moved rapidly around the room, wide with pain and confusion._

"_Good girl." He murmured approvingly._

Alice's eyes shot open, her mind barely registering the person leaning over her as her body jolted upward into a half-sitting position. The blonde's breath came in short bursts as she gradually became aware of her surroundings.

"Alice calm down. You were having a nightmare." Claire whispered, hoping to put the trembling woman at ease. The redhead looked over to see Alice's hand had been clutching one of her LDA pistols; her knuckles turned a ghostly white as her shaking palm squeezed the gun in a death grip. Claire reached over and placed her hand over Alice's to gently ease the firearm away. Much to her surprise, the blonde's grip fell loose as Claire gently unclasped her fingers. The redhead placed the gun on the ground behind her and slipped her hand into Alice's, lacing their fingers.

"Alice….Alice look at me." Claire whispered again. Alice's eyes continued to dart around in frantic confusion as if she had not heard her. Claire raised her free hand and used it to tilt the blonde's chin up to look at her. Fearful blue eyes finally rested on Claire.

"Alice you're safe. It was only a dream." She repeated, unable to stop herself from stroking the shaken woman's cheek with the pad of her thumb. Alice opened and closed her mouth a few times but no words came from her lips. Her whole body was still trembling uncontrollably, the horrifying dream still fresh in her mind.

Without thinking, Claire shifted so she was sitting next to the blonde and gently eased them both back so they were lying down on Alice's sleeping bag. Claire's arm wrapped securely around the blonde's waist as she molded herself against the woman's side.

Alice, although startled by the gesture, turned in Claire's arms and clung to the redhead, terrified of letting go. The blonde buried her head in Claire's neck and took her first calming breath since waking from the dream.

Claire tightened her grip on Alice, feeling as the woman's trembling form gradually stilled in her arms. Her heart tightened painfully in her chest, she leaned down and rested her cheek against Alice's hair, cradling the woman even closer to her. Seeing Alice in this state and not knowing how to fix it made Claire feel helpless.

"I'm here…..you're safe. I won't let anything hurt you, I promise." Claire whispered tenderly in Alice's ear.

* * *

A satellite image of a dessert region appeared on a large computer screen along with a very specific set of coordinates zeroed in on a particular area. On another screen, side by side with the previous monitor, was a complex grid listing what looked to be waves of some sort. A young girl dressed in a long white gown stared at the monitors with an eerie intensity. Though she looked no more than 11, there was nothing remotely childish about her set features.

" Dr. Isaacs my readings have detected an increased in both alpha and beta waves in this region."

Dr. Isaacs drew closer to the screen and stared at the information with great interest.

"You're sure one of the clones isn't the source?" He asked.

"Positive. My readings indicate that there is a 67 percent chance that the source of the frequencies is that of the original project Alice," she replied.

Dr. Isaacs stared at the statistics that flooded the monitors in bewilderment for a few moments before letting a dark smirk tug at the corner of his lip.

"Very good."

An old security clearance picture of Alice pulled up on the screen and next to it were more lines of statistics on 'Project Alice.' Dr. Isaacs' smirk grew as he stared up at Alice's unsmiling face in the grainy picture.

"We'll have you home very soon, my dear. Very soon."

* * *

Alice stirred slightly in Claire's arms, pulling back just enough to look at the redhead. They had been in the same position for a little over half an hour; Claire had assumed that the other woman had just fallen back asleep and had been moments from dozing off herself.

"Hey," Alice mumbled in slight embarrassment. She felt a small lump form in her throat as she finally took in just how close she was to Claire. It took all her will power not to let her eyes fall to the redhead's tempting lips just inches from her own.

"Hey," Claire echoed. She slowly began to extract her arms from around the woman's body, only to have her movements stilled by two soft, but firm hands. Their eyes met in a gaze not unlike the one they had shared a few nights before. Only this time, there was nothing around to pose as an interruption. It was only the two of them.

Claire's breath caught in her throat as she felt Alice's hand tentatively move from her arm to her hip, gently pulling her in even closer to the blonde. Finally giving in to her crumbling resolve, Alice leaned forward and closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to Claire's in a soft, heartfelt kiss. The redhead instantly melted into the contact, bringing her hands up to wrap around Alice's neck, and burying them in short, blonde locks of hair.

Claire whimpered softly as Alice's lips brushed against her own, growing bolder with each passing second. The redhead gently traced Alice's bottom lip with the tip of her tongue, begging for entrance which she was quickly granted and deepened the kiss. She marveled silently to herself at just how gentle the blonde's touches were. After seeing how the older woman fought it was a surprise to experience the tenderness she was also capable of.

Alice sighed against Claire's lips and rolled over, pinning the redhead on her back without breaking the contact between them. Using one of her arms to brace herself up so she was hovering over Claire, she traced her freehand up the woman's side, luxuriating in the feel of the redhead's form beneath her hands.

Claire's body trembled as Alice's wandering touch trailed up her side and moved to cup her cheek; teasing fingertips brushed against the curve of her jaw sending jolts of electricity up her spine. Though they were reluctant to pull away from one another, the need for air was quickly becoming a prominent issue.

Alice was the first to break her lips from Claire's, pulling away just enough to rest her forehead against the other woman's. Neither of them bothered to open their eyes, not wanting the moment to end just yet. Breathless smiles touched each of their lips as they listened to the other woman's ragged breathing slowly even out.

Claire leaned forward tasting Alice's lips once more before a heartbreakingly tremulous smile fell over her features. In a small, quivering voice she whispered against soft lips.

"I missed you."

**To be continued...**

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Let me hear it!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Please don't sue me.**

**Rating:T**

**Chapter 7-**

Alice fell from the ventilation grate, landing on the white tiles beneath her gracefully. She glanced around her new surroundings, finding that the corridor she had entered was completely white save for the umbrella logo on the floor a few yards ahead of her.

The blonde took a few hesitant steps forward, her boot-tread felt awkward and uneven with each step from where the Queen's defense system lasers had sliced the very bottom section of the rubber off.

'Better than a bloody stub,' Alice mused silently to herself.

The blonde came to a metal gurney sitting in the middle of the walkway. Blue eyes followed the hall forward and rested on a particular area of the floor. She raised a slender eyebrow and planted a booted foot firmly on one of the gurneys bars. With a strong shove, Alice propelled the bed forward and within moments it was a hairs width past the spot on the floor Alice had been observing. Without missing a beat, a large guillotine-like blade jutted up from the floor, slicing the gurney in two.

Alice let out a steady breath and continued forward, well aware that each step was a potential trap.

'I need to arm myself. A gun, a knife, hell, even a stick would be better than nothing at this point.'

Alice cautiously stepped over the area where the first trap had sprung. With her focus occupied on that however, she had failed to notice her boot barely landing on the umbrella logo in the center of the floor. A clicking sound caught Alice's attention immediately as the center of the logo raised from the floor.

"Shit."

Alice dove forward. She knew of these traps, it was one of the perks of being a security expert, she knew defense systems like the back of her hand. She even helped design a few of them at times, but she never thought she'd have to go up against any of them.

As the device fired Alice ducked and rolled forward, barely missing the rounds being shot around the circumference of the room. The blonde hit the floor with a painful 'thud' just as the trap lowered back to the floor. She quickly climbed back to her feet, glaring at the logo venomously.

'What the _hell_ is this?'

Alice's eye glanced over at the remains of the halved gurney; she walked over to it and examined the broken object with a careful eye. She leaned down and picked up one of the halves and glanced over it briefly. Alice gave it consideration, glanced over at the nearest wall and took a deep breath before raising the object and slamming it against the pristine white surface with incredible force. The reverberation stung all the way up her forearms, but she went and swung again and again until two short poles from the side broke free from the gurney and clattered to the floor.

Alice tossed what was left in her hands off to the side and knelt down to retrieve her makeshift batons. The poles were hollow and light, but sturdy.

"It's a start." Alice concluded lowly, tightening her hold on the cold metal in her palms. Feeling slightly more confident with the weapons at her side, Alice looked up and glanced around. There were three different hallways to go down. Deciding quickly, Alice set out down the corridor to the far left, figuring it to be as good as any.

She had gotten a ways down the silent walkway when a sharp turn came up ahead of her to the left. Alice turned the corner, barley having time to react as a pair of gloved hands lunged for the blonde's throat. She side stepped just in time to stumble backwards and gawk at the inky-black eyes of her attacker.

The man was massive, clad in a pale blue jumpsuit. The harsh fluorescent light of the hallway gave the man's skin a sickly, yellowish hue, accentuating his dark eyes and rotting, cracked teeth. The figure snarled and lunged at Alice a second time, gnashing his teeth hungrily as her continued his pursuit.

Alice easily evaded the man's grabby hands again and dropped to the floor, shooting her leg out and knocked her attacker on his back. He fell to the tiled floor like a bag of rocks, causing the walls to shake from the force though the man seemed unfazed by the attack. However, the short moment gave Alice just the right amount of time to get back to her feet, grab one of the man's cold, clammy wrists and plant a booted foot on the man's chin.

With one quick motion, Alice pulled the arm she held while forcing the man's head in the opposite direction and within moments she felt a muted 'pop' on the bottom of her foot through the soles of her boot as she snapped his neck. The man fell back onto the tile floor, lifeless; allowing Alice a better look at her assailant.

"What the hell…" Alice whispered as she studied the man's sunken cheeks and pallid complexion. His skin hung sluggishly from his skull as if it were moments from completely slipping off his face like silly putty into a shapeless blob on the floor. The man looked starved, jaundiced and crazed, as if he were a corpse long before Alice had finished him off.

Alice grimaced, and took a few steps back before turning and making her way down the corridor again. She was pretty confident that the new angle to the man's spinal column was enough to keep him down for good.

She made her way past a few more curves in the hallway when a metal door came into view up ahead. Alice slowed her pace and adjusted her grip on the pipes in her hands. She took a few more steps forward and swung her foot forward, slamming it into the solid door. The door swung open with surprising ease to reveal a room filled with monitors and science equipment. Alice's eyes widened.

"Was that really necessary?" a voice came from behind her.

Alice jumped and spun around just in time to catch a glimpse of a smirking blonde woman clutching an industrial strength stun gun. There was a brief flash of agony as the current rippled through Alice's form.

And then there was darkness.

* * *

Claire tore her eyes from the road briefly as she hit a small pothole, causing the fuel truck to shake. Her gaze fell on Alice who was leaning against the door, dozing lightly. K-Mart sat between them, settled against Alice's shoulder napping as well. Both of their faces adorned looks of peace and contentment, despite the danger they were currently sprinting towards.

Just hours previously, Carlos, Mikey, Rebecca, Alice and Claire had all grouped together to discuss their next plan of action. It was then that Alice had brought up the journal she had found. The blonde had already mentioned it to Claire the previous night and spoken about it at length. All that was left after that was to convince the others and figure out what to do about their fuel problem. Eventually it all fell on a group vote. And after wandering the desert for years, everyone was willing to risk everything for a slim chance of hope. However slim it may be, it seemed Alaska was the beacon to follow. With that out of the way, all that was left was one thing.

"_Vegas," Claire had said in exasperation as Carlos and Mikey poured over a worn map, unsuccessfully __searching__ for a fuel source. The two men looked at her like she'd just clucked like a chicken._

"_It's the only area that is sure to have the fuel and supplies we need." Claire __concluded__, though she was well aware of just how crazy the idea was._

"_Yeah, there's a reason for that. Vegas is too damn dangerous." Carlos said incredulously. _

"_She's right," Alice said looking between the redhead and the__ ex-soldier__. "Vegas is our best bet."_

_Carlos folded the up the map and ran a hand through his hair, looking pensive before sighing in resignation. He knew the two had a point._

"_Alright." He said, shaking his head. "Vegas it i__s__."_

The truck ran over another pothole, shaking Alice from the haze of sleep she had been drifting in and out of for the past hour or so. She tried sitting up slightly when she noticed an unfamiliar weight resting on her shoulder. She looked down to see K-Mart using her as a pillow.

"Get some sleep?" Claire asked from the driver's seat. Alice moved her eyes to rest on the redhead.

"Not quite." Alice said through a groggy smile. "You want to trade off. Let me take the wheel for a bit?" The blonde offered. Claire shook her head and remained silent. Though the redhead's eyes were hidden behind her dark sunglasses Alice could practically feel the apprehension coming off the convoy leader in waves. The blonde looked over at the redhead's hands grasping the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles were turning white.

It was an understatement to say Claire was anxious as they drew nearer and nearer to Vegas. They were putting dozens of lives at risk, lives that Claire promised to protect. And right now they were going straight towards almost certain danger.

Careful not to wake the sleeping teenager at her side, Alice gently slipped her left hand free from underneath the blonde and let the girl fall into the crook of her arm. K-Mart, completely undisturbed by the movement, went on sleeping oblivious to the outside world.

Alice tentatively reached forward and placed a comforting hand on Claire's thigh. She wasn't expecting her to respond to the touch, so it surprised her when one of the redhead's hands loosened from the steering wheel and found its way into Alice's, threading their fingers together tightly. Alice squeezed her hand reassuringly.

She wished she could say something along the lines of 'everything will be fine' or 'there's nothing to worry about' but they'd both know it'd be a lie.

Up in the distance a large green sign came into view, Claire leaned forward, squinting to read it more clearly. Alice, however, could see the white print as clear as day.

_**Las Vegas 25 miles**_

**To be continued….**

**A/N: Okay, so I'm going to give a quick heads up about the next chapter, because I want to hear what you guys want. There will be at LEAST 3 deaths next chapter (as in supporting/main characters) I want you guys to tell me who you want to live or die, it can be _anyone_. Mikey,LJ,Carlos,K-Mart,Rebecca. It can even be Alice or Claire if you want...though that would make writing this story a bit difficult...sooo...yeah. **

**As for this chapter, my apologize that it was a bit slow, I'll make sure the next one makes up for it. Let me know what you think, love it? Hate it? Which characters will live to see chapter 9? Let me know!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Rating: T**

**Chapter 8-**

The convoy pulled up to the former hotel LJ had spoken up about minutes before. He claimed there was a viable fuel source, meaning it was their best bet at the moment.

Claire cut the engine of the truck and leaned forward in her seat, her eyes swept the area for anything suspicious.

"Why is that the only thing above the sand?" Claire motioned towards the only item within miles that wasn't covered. The large metal storage unit looking to be a relatively new addition to the scenery. Alice had already set her sights on the large box; they narrowed as a painful knot twisted her insides.

"I'm not sure…..let's just make this quick." The blonde said distractedly. She threw open the passenger-side door and hopped out. K-Mart went to follow but found Claire's firm hand planted on her shoulder, holding her in place.

"Sit this one out K. I want you to stay in the truck with the doors locked, " Claire said lowly. K-Mart opened her mouth to argue but quickly bit back her protest as she saw the anxious shadow darken Claire's irises. The teen nodded reluctantly and sat back in her seat. Claire offered a very strained, yet grateful smile.

"We'll make this quick." The redhead assured her, though it sounded more like she was trying to convince both of them. She swung open the driver's side door and hopped down, slamming it shut behind her. The redhead waited for a beat till she heard the 'click' of K-Mart locking the door behind her.

'Good girl.' Claire thought in relief. With K-Mart in the truck that was at least one less distraction she'd have to worry about.

By this point the rest of the trucks making up the convoy had pulled into various positions around the area, creating almost a labyrinth in the spaces between the vehicles. Carlos, Mikey, LJ, Rebecca, Alice, Claire and a handful of others who had proven themselves to be useful with a gun had all exited their trucks and were gathering together, awaiting further instruction.

Claire glanced around once again, assessing the area and the structures around it, quickly coming up with a strategy.

"Chase we need a lookout. Head up there and cover us, " Claire said in an authoritative tone of voice. The Texan gaped briefly as he looked up at the replica of the Eiffel Tower that the convoy leader was referring too. He gave a small nod and shouldered the rifle by his side before turning to make his way over to the structure for the very unpleasant climb awaiting him.

"Mikey get the winch, I want this thing moved." Claire continued. Mikey nodded obediently and went about his task.

Alice slowly drew the shotgun from her back and lowered it, taking careful steps forward towards the container. When she neared the metal structure she turned her head and focused, listening past the commotion the others were making and tuned her heightened senses in on one area.

It took all of three seconds to confirm the nagging suspicion that had been knotting in her gut since laying eyes on the cargo unit. Alice stumbled backward in a very uncharacteristic urgency.

"Get back!" She shouted as she continued to back up till she was only a few steps ahead of the others. She raised the Mossberg with one arm and aimed it directly at the metal structure, spurring the others to act in a similar manner. Alice's sudden outburst had been followed by a paralyzing silence. No one dared to question the blonde's warning. And with good reason.

Seemingly without prompt the front of the cargo crate fell open, falling to the ground and revealed an ominous blanket of darkness concealing the crates contents from sight.

The silence was thick with tension; everyone with a weapon in reach aimed it directly at the opening. It was no surprise that more than a few hands began trembling as they gripped their firearms tightly. After five long years they had experienced enough carnage to consider themselves seasoned fighters. But none of them were prepared for what began sprinting from the dark depths of the metal crate.

The first two hulking figures charged out of the shadows growling and snarling viciously as they sped towards their targets. Within seconds the mass followed in suit, more and more of the modified undead emptied from the crate, quickly outnumbering the number of humans there to face them.

Panic overtook the convoy and the sounds of gunfire riddled the air. Some in the frontlines turned and ran for cover, leaving only a few to hold their own against the horde.

Alice aimed her Mossberg at the nearest target and pulled the trigger, reducing her victim's head to a pulpy red mess of brain matter and skull fragments that splattered onto the sand below in gelatinous clumps. The blonde cocked the Mossberg and raised it again, she took aim at an infected rushing in her direction and fired producing a similar result.

Alice growled in aggravation, knowing that she couldn't afford to take them all out one at a time. She dropped her shotgun to the ground and withdrew her kukri blades in a vain attempt to conserve ammo.

Alice whipped her head around as two more infected rushed her side by side. A wicked grin crept to the blonde's lips as she dropped down, using the blades to swipe at and sever the Achilles tendons of both the infected. However, before either of them could even hit the ground, Alice followed the strike by rising to a standing position and slashing the backs of her assailant's necks. Her enhanced strength made slicing through their spinal columns a task of little effort.

Alice watched as the two bodies fell to the lifelessly earth at her feet. Her ears picked up on another attacker behind her moments later; she turned in a split second, jamming both blades into the chest cavity of another undead. She pulled the weapons down, cutting past and destroying organs and dead tissue of the man's chest and stomach before yanking the blades out and slamming one of them into his fleshy neck. The blade only got about halfway through, but it was enough. The undead slumped to the ground, falling away from the blade without Alice having to bother pulling it free.

The blonde let out a ragged breath, expelling the fire out of her lungs. Her kukris were coated with thick, congealed blood that plopped to the sand in noisy clumps, speckling the gold jelly-like smears of crimson. Alice felt the adrenaline surge through her veins in an intoxicating wave. Though she hated to admit it, something inside her relished the fighting, craved it even. She caught a glimpse of another few undead zeroing in on her position, they rushed for her mindlessly. The dark part of Alice swelled with a malicious glee, eager for her next victims to close in.

At a distance, Claire was being pursued by three attackers of her own. She turned and fired, downing one with a clean headshot before turning again and continuing the chase around one of the trucks.

Mikey, having seen Claire being followed, fired a few rounds at the undead running after the redhead, none of which came anywhere close to a kill shot. The undead spun around, its attention redirected to the Aussie. Mikey cursed under his breath and went to shoot again only to be greeted by the hollow 'click' of an empty mag.

"Oh, fuck!" He went to rummage through the pockets of his cargo pants to retrieve a spare magazine. In his distraction however, Mikey failed to notice a second undead barreling towards him. The man tackled Mikey, throwing him off guard and sending him to the ground sprawled on his back.

Broken, jagged teeth sunk into the exposed flesh of Mikey's throat, sinking in deeply and clamping down, cutting off the man's startled gasp into nothing more than a strained, wet gag. The undead tore away, ripping with him a mouthful of flesh, immediately sending Mikey into a state of shock as he felt his own blood spurt up from the wound and spatter the underside of his chin.

The Aussie tried again to cry out, but was unsuccessful as powerful jaws continued to chew away hungrily at the inner-workings of his throat. The agony was long past by this point as Mikey moved beyond the pain. Blood began pooling in the back of his throat. He coughed, spilling the warm, thick fluid over his lips and trailing it down his chin and neck. Mikey's eyes slid shut as the pull of unconsciousness became his final comfort.

Claire sped around the same truck again, thinking she had heard Mikey yelling for her over the chaos. The redhead shot an undead running past her in the forehead without breaking her pace and slid up and over the hood of the fuel truck, using the large tire as a point of trajectory.

She had hoped to find Mikey in some sort of attempt at regrouping, but instead was met with the site of two infected feasting ravenously on her deceased friend's corpse.

"No!" Claire screamed frantically. She aimed and fired a few shots, managing to down only one of the undead and hit the other in various areas on his back. She rushed forward and finally downed the second undead when she was only a few feet away. The redhead looked down at Mikey's blood covered mouth and what little was left of the young man's throat. The scream of another convoy member forced Claire to tear her gaze away from the Aussie's body and start moving again. She'd mourn for her friends when the others were safe.

On the other side of the convoy Carlos smacked the barrel of his PM-98 and attempted to pull the trigger, however the gun refused to fire. He tossed the jammed weapon aside in disgust and dove under the truck at his back, rolling out the other side. Scrambling to his feet, Carlos drew his Taurus P292AF and broke into a sprint, taking out three infected in his path with practiced aim. He rounded the front of the truck, running headlong into LJ, nearly toppling them both over. LJ cried out in surprise, raising his custom desert eagle frantically. Upon seeing that it was Carlos however, he quickly lowered the expensive piece.

"Man, I almost plugged you! What the fuck are these things?" LJ exclaimed. Carlos used the time to eject the current clip from his pistol and slid in a fresh mag.

"I'm not sure. They're not like the other infected. They're strong, fast…"Carlos trailed off trying to catch his breath.

"No shit! These ain't normal ass zombie motherfuckers! So where the fuck did they come from?"

A hand shot out from underneath the truck, grabbing hold of LJ's calf. One of the undead that had followed Carlos underneath the vehicle had crawled its way up to the front. LJ cried out in surprise as the strong arm yanked him off the balance and dragged him underneath the truck with the help of a second pair of hands. Carlos immediately dropped to his knees, hearing an agonized scream erupt from LJ as one of the undead sunk its teeth into his thigh. Carlos aimed at one of the attackers but found he couldn't get a clear enough shot without also hitting LJ.

In his distraction Carlos had not seen an infected man making his way towards him as the ex-soldier tried to save his doomed comrade.

Carlos sensed the movement just seconds too late as the undead fell onto him, knocking his gun from his hands. Carlos immediately planted his palms firmly on the shoulders of the man and forced him away as the undead lunged forward, its mouth looking to clamp down on any flesh within reach. Carlos grunted against the strain, the creature was several times stronger than the fiends he was used to dealing with and the fact that they were faster made it even worse. The sounds of LJ's dying screams mingled with the snarls and growls of the man on top of him, and filled Carlos' ears.

He tried to force the man off him again, looking between the undead and his pistol just inches away. If he timed it right he might be able to reach it. The infected man lurched forward again, its mouth gaping open wide as it drew closer and closer to Carlos' throat. The ex-soldier tried to push him away but found that resisting the massive creature's body weight along with the thing's strength was too much for even him to handle.

A gunshot rang out and suddenly the monster was deadweight against Carlos' chest. The man slumped over, lifeless, allowing the ex-soldier to finally push him off. His eyes followed upward and fell on Rebecca, in her hand was a smoking Heckler and Koch USP-9, while the other was extended forward to help Carlos back to his feet. Carlos took the offered hand and was pulled up by the young woman.

"Are you alright?" Rebecca asked in concern. Carlos nodded, unable to suppress the exhausted, yet relieved smile from reaching his lips as he considered the gruesome end he was just moments from experiencing seconds before.

"Yeah…..Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you." Carlos said. His eyes lingered on Rebecca's momentarily before he leaned down to retrieve his pistol.

"We need to find Claire and the others." Carlos said, and then broke off into a sprint with Rebecca close behind.

Alice, still broken off from the others, had fought her way up the stairs of a building, trying to save the convoy members who had fled up them for refuge. The blonde pulled one of the undead off a woman that was being mauled and made quick work of snapping its neck with her bare hands.

Alice growled angrily after seeing that she was too late to save the woman's life. She bent down and quickly went to retrieve her kukri blades when a glint caught her eye. She turned her head to see a metallic shine that was coming from the roof adjacent to the building she was currently in. Whatever it was moved out of Alice's sight. But it was too late, the blonde had already retrieved her blades from the corpses of the two undead she had downed moments earlier and made a break for the open balcony.

She stopped at the ledge overlooking the area; three remaining undead were blocking her path to the other building's entrance. Alice tucked her bottom lip between her teeth and let out a shrill whistle, effectively gaining the interest of her three targets. She flipped the blades into a specific position in her palms and leapt down from balcony, breaking into a full on sprint the instant her feet touched the ground.

She met two of the undead midway towards her destination and shot her fists forward, the razor edges of the blades followed the path her hands took and were embedded horizontally in the two undead's faces along the bridges of their noses, slicing deeply into the soft tissue of their eyes.

Not bothering to stop and retrieve her blades, Alice drew her twin LDA pistols from their holsters and wasted no time in downing the third and final undead, all while never slowing in her race to get to the other rooftop.

Leaping over the corpse, Alice threw herself at the door of the other building nearly taking it off its hinges. She darted up the stairs, taking them three at a time, a pistol clutched tightly in each hand. Within a minute Alice had reached the door to the roof and swung her leg forward, bashing it in.

The blonde stepped out onto the cement walkway, her eyes fell on the black Umbrella helicopter resting on a small launch pad across the roof from where she stood. Alice's grit her teeth at the set up she had lead the convoy into.

She took a few more steps forward and felt movement disturb the air next to her. Alice shot an arm out, blocking a roundhouse kick from her unseen attacker. She caught the woman's leg and pulled her in close enough to clamp her hand around the assailant's neck in a crushing grip. However, as soon as Alice laid her eyes on her attacker she shoved the woman to the cement forcefully, her blue eyes widening in surprise.

Jill glared up at Alice, quickly getting back to her feet, dusting herself off. Her once shoulder-length, raven hair was now a long, flowing mane of light blonde pulled back into a loose ponytail.

A glint coming from Jill's chest caught Alice's attention; she glanced down at the strange metal spider latched onto the woman's upper torso. The two locked eyes again and slowly began circling one another.

"Jill," Alice greeted tonelessly.

"Project Alice….we've been looking all over for you." Jill spoke through a dark smirk as if berating a child who had been hiding from a parent.

"We? Never took you for an Umbrella lapdog. I'm disappointed," Alice taunted. Jill sneered and lunged forward, throwing a left hook at Alice who easily side-stepped the attack, but went on to trade a few more blows with the blonde.

"What's that thing on your chest?" Alice asked, still maintaining a provoking lilt to her voice in hopes of riling the blonde woman even further.

"Wouldn't you like to know. You'll be wearing one soon! " Jill threw another roundhouse kick Alice's way, and managed to graze her abdomen. Alice, unfazed by the blow, used the time to grab a hold of Jill's wrist and locked it in behind her back. She then hooked an arm around Jill's shoulders, forcing the blonde into a choke hold.

"What are those things down there?" Alice growled into Jill's ear. She applied some pressure to the blonde's wrist, straining her shoulder and wrist joints painfully to emphasize her question. Jill chuckled.

"Modified undead test subjects. Dr. Isaacs was attempting to domesticate them. As you can see the results were a little less than desirable," Jill spat. Her tongue gently darted out and prodded her newly acquired split lip, her smirk grew.

"Haven't lost your touch I see." The blonde muttered bitterly. Alice strengthened her hold on Jill, pressing her wrist harder into her back to keep her in place as the blonde tried to struggle against her hold.

"But then again-"Jill smirked. She stilled in Alice's arms, no longer attempting to pull free. "-neither has she."

Before Alice could even process the words spoken too her, a figure slammed into her from behind, sending all three women crashing to the ground. Alice landed hard against the rough surface of the roof; the cement scraped the skin of her palms and cheek painfully.

Alice quickly recovered, rolling back and kicking up to her feet in time to see her new enemy doing exactly the same. Her blue eyes widened as they locked onto an identical set.

Her doppelganger looked back at her coldly, eyes narrowed into a menacing stare. Like Jill, the clone was clad in an Umbrella Soldier's uniform. Her double also adorned the same spider-like device latched onto her chest.

Jill gave a hand signal back towards the helicopter and suddenly the pilot started the engine. She then looked to Alice, her eyes narrowed into a determined stare.

The clone lunged at Alice without warning, throwing a vicious sidekick, and following up with a few lightening-quick jabs that Alice barely avoided. The clone spun again and dropped to the ground trying to sweep Alice's legs out from underneath her. Alice leapt in time to evade the attack. As soon as she landed she dodged a spinning backhand by grabbing the clone's wrist and flipping her over her shoulder. The clone fell to the ground, gasping as the impact winded her. Alice went to land another blow, but was forced to abandon the strike in favor of dodging the knife Jill had pulled and was trying to stick her with.

Alice evaded the blade and kneed the blonde in the ribs before she could regain her composure. She then threw out a well-aimed kick at the blonde's wrist. Her foot sent the long blade soaring through the air, and landed too far away to be of any more concern at the moment.

Jill growled in frustration and went to elbow Alice in the face. The clone, having recovered finally, darted back to her feet and was seconds from planting her knee into Alice's solar plexus.

Alice managed to block Jill's attack and land a right hook into the blonde's jaw. However, the clone's attack slipped past her defenses. The air rushed from Alice's lungs as a rock hard knee slammed into Alice's chest with bone shattering force. Against Alice's will, she fell to her knees as the pain exploded through her mid-section.

The clone hit again, following her attack with a powerful downward elbow strike to the back of Alice's neck, and sending her face-down onto the pavement.

"Get her in the chop-" Jill was interrupted by a handful of gunshots coming from the doorway leading to the rooftop.

"Alice!" Claire shouted, firing another round.

"Get her in the chopper!" Jill ordered forcefully, drawing her berretta from her belt holster and began to return fire, forcing Claire to take refuge behind the nearest cover.

The clone reached down, grabbing the collar of Alice's duster and began dragging her towards the chopper. She got only a few paces forward before Alice jerked away from her grip and kicked the clone's legs out from under her.

Alice hurried to her feet and closed the distance between herself and Jill to jab the pre-occupied blonde in the stomach before grabbing the weapon from her hands and smacking her in the face with the butt of the gun.

"Claire – get out of here now!" Alice shouted over the roar of the helicopter.

Another loud shot sounded and Alice's eyes widened. She turned to see her clone back on her feet and holding a pistol in her hand nearly identical to Jill's. A slight stream of smoke crept from the gun's barrel.

Alice stole a glance back at Claire before sputtering slightly; she felt stray droplets of blood fall from her lips as the pain began to set in. Warm, sticky fluid slowly began soaking her shirt and leaking down her back and chest from where the bullet had torn a hole through her lithe frame. Her lungs grew heavier with each breath as the crimson fluid slowly filled them, each breath was an agonizing task.

Alice heard nothing, not even Claire screaming her name from a few yards away as tunnel vision set in. Suddenly the silence was pierced by a sharp ringing sound that filled her head as the ground grew closer and closer. Her knee's hit the rough surface first followed by the rest of her body.

Claire loaded another clip into her glock at a maddening pace and rushed forward. Rage and panic laced her blood, drowning out everything else around her as her eyes locked onto the blonde laying face down a few yards ahead of her.

Alice had just been shot in the chest right before her eyes. Bringing to head an emotion Claire had carefully kept muted for months now. At that moment, she was no longer just gunning for the people who may have been responsible for her brother's disappearance. She was protecting someone she loved.

Claire watched as the two blondes leaned down again and continued to drag Alice back towards the chopper, she raised her glock and fired multiple times. To her luck, one of the bullets hit, piercing one of the attacker's in the arm. The blonde Claire had shot stiffened, dropping Alice back to the ground and turned for the first time to face Claire. The redhead's eyes widened as they fell on a familiar pair of icy blue eyes, glaring back at her venomously.

The clone gave the redhead a cold, amused smirk and drew her gun again, firing a shot at Claire. The redhead braced herself for the pain of the bullet tearing through her skin but found that it never came.

'She missed?'

Claire opened her eyes and gaped at what she saw. The bullet was barley six inches from piercing her abdomen; however, instead of continuing forward it was suspended in front of her. The redhead looked past the bullet to see Alice's dilated pupils zeroed in on the bullet, a small rivulet of blood slowly leaked from her nose as she struggled to concentrate on the bullet. Her pupils shifted slightly and she whipped her head in Jill's direction, sending the bullet into the blonde's shoulder faster than Claire could follow with her naked eye.

Jill cried out in shock and clutched at her injured shoulder as blood began to steadily gush from the wound. She too released her hold on Alice, letting her drop to the cement. Jill's face paled immediately as the pain washed over her.

"We're leaving!" Jill yelled over the noise of the helicopter, her hand still clutching her shoulder as warm fluid leaked between her fingers. She was losing too much blood. The clone would heal before exsanguination became an issue. She, however, would be lucky to get back before going into shock.

The clone gave the blonde a reluctant look before sending her a curt nod. The two strode over to the helicopter that slowly lifted from the landing pad within moments of them getting on.

Claire didn't bother watching the chopper fly away, her eyes locked onto Alice who was still face-down, lying in a small pool of her own blood. The redhead dropped her gun and ran over to the woman's side and knelt down, wasting no time in gathering Alice's lithe form into her arms.

"No...please, no..." Claire whispered over and over again, feeling the prickle of hot tears begin to burn her eyes and flow down her cheek as she cradled the blonde in her arms. Alice's glassy blue eyes strained to focus on Claire's as wet noises clouded each pained breath attempted.

Claire brought her hand to Alice's cheek and used the pad of her thumb to gently brush away the thin rivulets of blood from the corner of the blonde's lips and what had leaked down onto her top lip from her bleeding nose. Her skin was ice-cold to the touch, spurring a heart-wrenching sob to escape Claire's lips. She felt Alice's body slowly losing heat and strength as the trembling of her form grew weaker and weaker with each passing moment.

"Come on. Stay with me, Alice. Please…" Claire pleaded with her desperately. She leaned over and pressed her lips to Alice's forehead, then moved them down to meet her lips tenderly. She placed several more short kisses to the blonde's icy lips before pulling away to see Alice's glazed stare looking back at her. The pain in her blue eyes seemed boundless at that moment and it broke Claire's heart.

Claire took the blonde's hand in her own and squeezed it. She felt Alice return the gesture weakly.

Alice took in another short, cloudy breath, followed by a few more pant-like attempts at forcing air into her lungs before giving in to the agonizing heaviness weighing down her chest. The air rushed from her body in one long, painful sigh. Her heart gave a few last, dying attempts at beating before stilling completely.

Alice's body went limp in Claire's arms. The blue eyes lost all means of focus and turned to stare aimlessly up at the sky, vacant of any spark of life.

**To Be Continued….**

**A/N: YES! I Killed her! MWUAHAHAHAHA! *gets shot and falls off chair***

**Alice: *yelling from off screen* No she didn't!**

**(Come on guys, bare with me.)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: *Ducks from a flying shoe* Hey! I wasn't going to leave you guys hanging long! Hope you'll forgive me for the cruel cliffhanger ;)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Rating: T**

**Chapter 9-**

Claire rocked the still form in her arms, unable to quell the heart-wrenching sobs shuddering through her. The pain in her chest throbbed furiously, awakening her to a kind of hurt she had never felt before.

_The __cells of the virus__ had long since pin__-__pointed the source that had subdued its host. Torn tissues blossomed with a new life and began pulling together drawing the wound close. _

_Within minutes the t-virus had mended the damage._

_The heart twitched to life, giving its first wakening beat and picked up a steady rhythm. Revitalized blood rushed through the host rousing the muscles into animation. _

The dark haze Alice had been pulled into slowly receded as she became aware of her surroundings again. Much to her relief she found herself able to draw in a breath of air. Her chest still ached miserably from where the bullet had hit, but she knew it would soon fade.

Alice took in another long breath of air and squeezed the hand holding hers. Claire jumped in surprise and brought her free hand up to cup the blonde's cheek desperately searching her face for any signs of life. Her heart leapt in her chest as she was greeted to the sight of blue eyes looking back at her, a faint smile touched Alice's lips.

"Oh my god..." The redhead mumbled in disbelief.

Claire couldn't stop the short, astonished laugh from escaping her lips as she returned the smile. Alice raised her free hand up to Claire's cheek and brushed a tear away with her thumb her eyes never leaving the redhead's as she gazed up at her fondly.

The blonde held Claire's cheek and guided her down, bringing their lips together. The kiss started out soft and tender, but quickly escalated as passion took hold of them both.

A heartbreaking whimper escaped Claire's lips as she moved them against Alice's desperately. Fresh tears of relief rolled down her cheeks as she pulled the blonde even closer to her. She craved as much contact as possible.

When they finally pulled away Claire ran a hand through Alice's hair, and pressed a lingering kiss to the blonde's forehead once more before helping her into a sitting position.

Alice grimaced in discomfort, the ache radiating in her chest mixed with the feeling of her blood-soaked shirt plastering itself to her skin, and was unpleasant to say the least.

"Are you alright?" Alice asked, glancing over Claire for injuries. The redhead quirked an eyebrow at the blonde.

"Alice, you were just shot and you're asking if _I'm _ok?" Claire replied.

Alice shook her head, bringing a hand to where the wound in her chest had been. A dead-serious look fell over the blonde's face suddenly and Claire was quick to pick up on the immediate change in demeanor.

"The one who shot me….you saw her face….right?" Alice asked darkly and turned her head to lock eyes with Claire. The redhead faltered before giving a small nod.

"I…..I don't understand though." She whispered.

Alice looked over in the direction she had heard the chopper take off in. A grave expression befell her features.

"I think I do."

* * *

Beakers and test tubes flew from the desk and crashed to the floor exploding into shards on impact.

Isaacs gave another furious shout and threw the rest of the desk's contents across the room.

"It was a simple task!" The man screamed in rage. He turned to stare furiously at the two women across the room from him. A very pale looking Jill was perched up on a table; part of her shirt was pulled down from her shoulder to reveal her still bleeding wound. She glared daggers at the fuming scientist.

"If it's so simple then what are you doing here? Go nab the guinea pig yourself." The Clone challenged, returning the man's stare with a cold smirk. Isaacs narrowed his eyes at the double.

"You seem to have forgotten just how expendable you truly are," Isaacs growled lowly. His eyes flickered back to Jill who was still trying to patch herself up.

"Clean her up." Isaacs ordered, turning his gaze back at the clone.

The clone fought to remain where she stood, but found her body responding to the command. She reluctantly went to retrieve a med kit leaving Jill and Isaacs alone in the room. The scientist gave Jill a once over and grimaced in disgust.

"How was her performance on the field?" Isaacs asked. His anger seemed to have lessened greatly by this point, and was replaced by curiosity and a need for results.

"Acceptable. She followed orders when given." Jill replied, showing clear disinterest in the conversation.

"Her confrontation with project Alice? How did she measure up?" The man pressed impatiently. Jill gave him a look as if to say 'you're an idiot.'

"Peachy, as you can clearly see." The blonde drawled sarcastically motioning at her injured shoulder for emphasis.

"Answer the question."

"One on one, the clone wouldn't have lasted five minutes." Jill replied curtly. Isaac's scowl deepened.

"And with you helping her?" He continued.

A bitter yet satisfied smirk curled the corner of Jill's lips.

"We would've had her."

Isaacs raised his eyebrow skeptically at the former thief.

"I once found your confidence admirable Ms. Valentine. But now, I fear it's given you a touch of delusion."

The muscle in Jill's jaw tensed at the condescending remark.

"There was another. She intervened; that's the only reason Project Alice evaded capture," the blonde spat in annoyance. Isaacs turned and began pacing for a few beats as if mulling something over in his head.

"Obviously we will need to remove this other woman from the equation then, correct?" Isaacs asked rhetorically. Jill rolled her eyes and glanced over in time to see the Alice-clone crossing the entrance threshold, and making her way back towards her. A case of medical supplies clutched at her side.

"Took you long enough," Jill chided. Alice cast a very un-amused stare in the blonde's direction but said nothing.

Isaacs glanced between the two and grumbled something inaudible under his breath. He had work to attend to, and had no desire to be near the two blondes at the moment.

"I have business elsewhere…both of you stay put till you're needed again." The man grumbled distractedly. He waved them both off and exited the room.

"Bastard." Jill muttered and glanced over at the clone who was silently tending to her wound. Her blue eyes were focused entirely on her current task.

"That woman…do you know anything about her?" Jill asked suspiciously.

"Nothing. She's someone Alice met after escaping the Detroit facility." The blonde replied mechanically her concentration still focused on her work.

"How can you be so sure?" Jill asked raising a skeptic eyebrow.

The clone's hands stilled and her eyes finally moved to meet the former thief's. A harsh look was etched into the clone's features. In a tone leaving no room for uncertainty she replied.

"I would remember if she had met her before."

* * *

Claire slowly made her way through the convoy keeping her head down and her eyes hidden behind her aviators despite the fact that the sun had already begun to set.

After digging graves for their fallen comrades, all seven of them, everyone thought it best to be quick about gathering the resources and moving away from the area as soon as possible. They refueled, collected supplies, and fled from the carnage. Only to stop at a rundown hotel a few miles outside the city limits.

The convoy leader spotted Carlos across the clearing, and made her way over to him.

"Is the perimeter set?" The redhead asked when she reached him. Carlos gave a small nod; it was obvious by the look on his face that he was tired. They all were.

"Yeah. Perimeter's set, everyone's fed; looks like everything's set for the night." The ex-soldier concluded.

"That's good," Claire rasped weakly. Carlos' eyes softened.

"How are you holding up?" He asked. Claire refused to make eye contact with the ex-soldier and instead chose to take a quick sweep of the convoy.

"I'm fine….We could all just use some rest," the redhead replied. "You have everything under control here?"

Carlos nodded and offered a small smile.

"Yeah. Go get some sleep, Claire. "

Claire gave a weak grin. "Thanks," she replied.

The redhead said goodnight to the ex-soldier, and started off again weaving her way through the trucks and up towards the motel. She walked to one of the rooms, and slipped inside making sure to lock the door behind her.

Alice looked up from her sitting position on the bed and their eyes met.

"Hey," Claire greeted softly. "Got you this," she continued holding up a clean white tank top they had managed to scavenge in Vegas. She handed the clean article of clothing to the blonde, and leaned down to pick up the small bucket of water she had left by the door a previously.

"Thank you," Alice said gratefully taking the offered clothing. The blonde slid her duster from her shoulders, and threw it on a nearby chair. She made a quick mental note to clean the bloodstains from it later as she saw the dark crimson streak that had trailed down the back of her coat. Alice then unclipped the holsters strapped around her thighs and back, placing her LDA pistols, Mossberg and kukri blades onto the same chair that now held her coat. Her body felt much lighter without all the extra weight to hold her down.

She turned to see Claire sitting on the bed waiting for her in her hand was a fresh damp cloth. The redhead patted the space next to her invitingly. Alice made her way back to the bed, and took a seat angling her body towards the redhead.

"Jesus, Alice…" Claire said taking in the sight of Alice's bloodstained torso. The blonde glanced downward, seeming to be embarrassed by the mess.

"It's fine…really." She said sheepishly refusing to make eye contact with the redhead. She eased out of the ruined article of clothing leaving her torso bare save for her bra. As expected, the pale skin of Alice's chest, shoulder, and back was still a dark-maroon hue from where dried blood had caked onto her skin. Claire's eyes fell to where she had seen the bullet go through; her eyebrows knited together in confusion as she gently brought the damp cloth up to the area, and began gently brushing away the grime and blood.

"Is this what you meant when you said Umbrella experimented on you?" Claire asked.

"It's part of it," Alice offered weakly. "I still don't understand the extent of it."

After that they were both silent. Claire continued to clean away the blood marring the blonde's porcelain skin, while Alice silently followed the redhead's every movement. A look of adoration glinted in her blue eyes. When Claire finished clearing away the blood from Alice's chest and back, she stopped back at the area where the wound used to be, her eyes focused on the spot as a tentative hand raised to brush over the area with her fingers.

"Does it hurt at all?" She asked softly.

"It'll ache for a while. That's all." Alice replied.

Claire ran her index finger over the area again. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the skin in question before pulling away. Alice, taken aback by the tender gesture, smiled. While the redhead proceeded to wring out the cloth in the bucket of water, Alice remembered the clean wife-beater in her lap, and slipped it on over her head grateful for the feeling of the soft material against her skin.

Claire pushed the bucket a few feet away and looked back at Alice. The exhausted look in her green eyes pulled at the blonde's heartstrings. The events of the day had caught up to them both obviously overwhelming the younger woman.

Alice reached over pulling her close, and within moments the redhead found herself wrapped in a protective embrace. Fresh tears obscured her vision as she buried her face in the crook of Alice's neck.

"Don't you _ever _do that to me again," Claire said forcefully, though the crack in her voice betrayed the sadness behind the command. Alice pressed a soft kiss to her head dreading her next response.

"You know I can't promise something like that," the blonde rasped. Alice cradled Claire's form even closer to her, and gently tangled soft red hair through her fingertips. Her thoughts briefly wandered back to the chopper she had seen fly away. A plan quickly formed in Alice's mind. After mulling it over for a few brief moments she pushed it aside.

'Tonight will be hers,' Alice concluded to herself, pressing another kiss to Claire's head.

'But tomorrow…I'm finishing this.'

Alice tilted Claire's head up to face her. She leaned in and gently kissed away a few stray tears before bringing their lips together. Claire instantly melted into it, snaking her arms around the blonde's neck in need.

Alice shifted the redhead in her arms bringing her up to straddle her lap without breaking the contact. She relished the feeling of holding the younger woman, and couldn't help but smile into the kiss as four words repeated themselves over and over in her thoughts.

'I love you Claire.'

**To be continued….**

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Let me know! I love to hear what you guys think!**


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